274 THE HORSE. 



to reappear in the produce ; but if a dam possessing tliem is put 

 to a horse of a different character, the result is often that the pro- 

 duce is not a medium between tlie two, but is in its anterior parts 

 ]ike its dam, and in its jDosterior resembling its sire, or vice versa, 

 than which no more unfortunate result can occur. Thus, we 

 will suppose that a very strong muscular horse is put to a very 

 light racing mare ; instead of the produce being moderately 

 stout all over, he will often be very stout and strong behind, 

 and very light and weak before, and as a consequence his hind- 

 quarter will tire his fore limbs, by giving them more to do than 

 they have the power of accomplishing. This is well seen in 

 Crucifix, who was a very wiry and fast, but light mare, with a 

 fore-quarter hardly capable of doing the work of her own hind- 

 quarter. Now, she has been several times put to Touchstone — 

 a horse remarkable for getting bad-shouldered stock, but with 

 strong muscular propellers — and, with the solitary exception of 

 Surplice, these have been a series of failures. Surplice was 

 also defective in the same way, but still he managed to get 

 along in an awkward style, but sofhehow or other at a great 

 pace. Cowl, on the other hand, was a better galloper, because 

 there was a greater harmony of parts ; but he was somewhat 

 deficient in the stout qualities which Touchstone was intended 

 to supply ; yet he will jDrove, I fancy, a better stallion than 

 Surplice, because he is more truly made, and by consequence 

 .nore likely to perpetuate his own likeness. 



Examples of Out-Ckossing. — Harkaway has been alluded 

 to before as a strong case of out-crossing, his sire and dam not 

 being closely related, though still going back to Herod or 

 Eclipse in almost all his lines. He would, however, be consid- 

 ered a decided case of crossing, and he was no doubt a very su- 

 perior race-horse. As yet, however, he has not done much as a 

 sire, his stock generally being deficient in that essential quality, 

 speed, though stout enough to make good hunters and steeple- 

 chasers. Perhaps his best son was Idle Boy, in which the 

 "Waxy blood in the sire hit with the same strain in lole, the 

 dam, who was a daughter of Sir Hercules. 



Example 2. — One of the most remarkable cases of success in 

 crossing, when carried out to a great extent, is seen in Beeswing 

 and her sons Newminster, Nunnykirk, and Old Port. In the 



