have the same result, and in a much more marked manner. 

 Practice proves this to be the case, and it is precisely that 

 which makes Consanguinity such a powerful agent in attaining 

 perfection, of which, however, not all breeders are capable of 

 availing themselves in such a manner as to materially improve 

 stock. 



Consanguinity fixes and develops the beauties, quali- 

 ties, defects, and vices, but all are not equally apparent. 

 Some may be hidden ; some may exist in the shape of an in- 

 dividual or family predisposition, not extending to the whole 

 race ; Consanguinity, then, develops and makes them mani- 

 fest. To have any chance of obtaining good results from this 

 mode of reproduction, it would be necessary to make use of it 

 only between animals of the same family, possessed of refined 

 qualities, and completely exempt from all defects and all bad 

 predispositions. 



The effects of Consanguinity are very varied, but we 

 have only to regard them in their bearing upon the breeding 

 of wool-producing animals. If this mode of improvement has 

 occasionally shown admirable results, it has also frequently 

 been the cause of degeneration, which has shown itself in 

 various ways be it by a decrease in the height and weight 

 of the animals, weakness of the backbone the loins becoming 

 hollowed, or the dimensions of the chest showing a decrease 

 in breadth. It may happen that the quality of the wool 

 changes also ; if its dominant feature was fineness, its fine- 

 ness may increase, but it is often at the expense of the thick- 

 ness of the fleece, the abundance of the wool, its strength, 

 elasticity, and firmness. 



i. The elasticity of wool must not be confounded with 

 the length of staple. During the cattle show, I, on several 

 occasions, remarked breeders, who, in order to prove 

 that their wool was excessively elastic, would take a lock, and 

 stretch it in such a way as to entirely do away with the curl ; 

 they would then pretend that their wool was exceptionally 

 elastic. Now in this way one can judge of the length of the 

 wool only ; if stretched so strongly as to break the wool, it 

 gains more or less in length ; if the tension is diminished, the 

 wool recovers more or less of its original length. It is this 

 quality (more or less developed) which is possessed by wool 

 of stretching and recovering its pristine length which consti- 

 tutes its elasticity. Clothes made from fabrics composed 

 of wool of little elastic property get rapidly out of shape, 

 particularly at the knees and elbows. The maximum of 

 elasticity would be attained by that wool which, on being 

 stretched as far as its strength would bear tension, and sud- 

 denly released, would instantly return to its original length. 



It is easy to notice that wool produced by animals 

 reared by " Consanguinity" is but very slightly elastic. 



