172 DOMESTICATED ANIMALS AND PLANTS 



for there was no other way, and in that sense they came by them ; 

 but the responsibihty may, as we now know, He far back of the 

 immediate parent. Of all this we have abundant illustrations in 

 both the plant and animal world. In mixed breeding, under 

 Mendel's law, we have seen already how long a character may 

 linger and how easily it may outcrop even generations later. 

 Reversions and the law of ancestral heredity teach us the same 

 truth, namely, that all races have an exceedingly mixed ancestry, 

 partly desirable and partly undesirable, and that all races have 

 more characters than can be fully developed in any individual 

 or under any single set of conditions. 



The dog, our most faithful friend, is, after all, a descendant 

 of the wild wolves of the forest, and he still possesses some of 

 the ancient instinct to trail, to hunt, and to kill. In many cases, 

 under unfavorable conditions, this wild instinct gets the better of 

 him and he becomes a dangerous animal. The breeding of bull- 

 dogs for ferocity is attended with great danger, because this 

 particular trait is so closely in line with the old-time instincts 

 of the savage ancestors. The only protection of the horse is 

 flight, and we all know by experience that some individuals are 

 by nature so timid that under unfavorable conditions they will 

 run away and are ever after unreliable. 



Many individuals of our own race are unfortunately "born 

 short ' ' ; that is, with the better characters weak and those of 

 savagery relatively strong. Such men are almost certain to be 

 dangerous even under the best conditions. Unfortunately, too, 

 many who are better born have yet enough of the barbarous to 

 develop under unfavorable conditions and make them, too, dan- 

 gerous, when under good conditions they would have been 

 harmless. It is highly desirable that the best conditions pos- 

 sible be maintained, not only to prevent as many as may be 

 from going wrong, but also to help us to know and to sort out 

 the real degenerate, who is bound to go wrong anyhow. Again, 

 and aside from all this, nobody knows exactly what his own 

 ancestry is, — just what traits of character are waiting only for 



