vi THE MORGAN HORSE 



for nearly a century, probably originated. Thus certainly the progeny of 

 Janus, foaled in England in 1746, and imported to Virginia in 1752, got by 

 Janus, son of Godolphin Arabian, dam by Fox,and second dam by Bald Gal- 

 loway, became almost an established family, and, it is said, were very similar 

 to the Morgans both in contour and great speed. Thus the extraordinary 

 and useful qualities of the grand horse Messenger were impressed upon his 

 progeny ; and so, too, the original Morgan had this quality in a remarkable 

 degree. 



We see, then, that by the aid of these two great principles, Heredity and 

 Prepotency, man can accomplish in breeding about anything that he wishes. 

 His part is one of selection. He chooses the individuals to be bred, and 

 Nature by her unerring laws does the rest. 



Darwin says : " Although ,man does not cause variability and cannot 

 even prevent it, he can select, preserve and accumulate the variations given 

 to him by the hand of nature almost in any way which he chooses ; and thus 

 can produce a great result." 



Again he says : " Selection may be followed either methodically and in- 

 tentionally, or unconsciously and unintentionally. Man may select and pre- 

 serve each successive variation, with the distinct intention of improving and 

 altering a breed, in accordance with a preconceived idea ; and by thus add- 

 ing up variations, often so slight as to be imperceptible by an uneducated 

 eye, he has effected wonderful changes and improvements. It can, also, be 

 clearly shown that man, without any intention or thought of improving the 

 breed, by preserving in each successive generation the individuals which he 

 prizes most, and by destroying the worthless individuals, slowly, though 

 surely, induces great changes. As the will of man thus comes into play, we 

 can understand how it is that domesticated breeds show adaptation to his 

 wants and pleasures. We can further understand how it is that domestic 

 races of animals and cultivated races of plants often exhibit an abnormal 

 character as compared with natural species ; for they have been modified 

 not for their own benefit, but for that of man." 



John Fiske, in "Excursions of an Evolutionist," says: "The instances 

 are very numerous indeed in which variations and very marked ones, too 

 have been wrought in the characteristics of plants and animals through the 

 agency of man. The phenomena of variation presented by animals and 

 plants under domestication are so numerous and so complex that it would 

 require many volumes to describe them. Dogs, horses, pigs, cattle, sheep 

 rabbits, pigeons, poultry, silk-moths, cereal and culinary plants, fruits and 

 flowers innumerable have been reared and bred by man for many long ages, 

 some of them from time immemorial. These domesticated organisms 

 man has caused to vary, in one direction or another, to suit his natural or 

 artificial needs, or even the mere whim of his fancy. The variations, more- 

 over, which have thus been produced have been neither slight nor unimpor- 

 tant, and have been by no means confined to superficial characteristics. 

 Compare the thoroughbred race-horse with the gigantic London dray-horse 

 on the one hand, and the Shetland pony on the other ; or, among pigeons, 



