1 86 The Sporting Dog 



breeding are often common in appearance in the 

 early stages. At maturity the poorly bred will 

 become common, and those of champion ancestry 

 will show their blood. There is a strong proba- 

 bility that the latter will go on improving for a 

 long time, and that the former will stop short 

 and often go backward after a certain limit is 

 reached. 



It is hardly necessary to say that this does not 

 constitute an invariable rule and that, like most 

 dogmas which relate to living creatures, it is 

 subject to many exceptions and variations. But 

 Jthe percentage of probabilities is immensely on 

 the side of the good pedigree. The qualities 

 of the great ancestors are likely to ripen into 

 power ; maybe a little late, but, on the other hand, 

 maybe a little better for not being precocious. 

 If a matured dog is good through and through, 

 he makes his own pedigree. But I should never 

 think twice of a young one which had not a 

 pedigree of public performers. Private tales of 

 untested, unwitnessed performances need too 

 much verification, about as much as a mother's 

 baby yarns. Public competition alone is the basis 

 of value in a pedigree. 



