Breeding 247 



inbreeding produces puny and weak specimens. 

 It all depends on selection and circumstances. 

 One trouble about close line breeding is the 

 tendency after the second generation to split up 

 into the original elements. 



Some people will tell you that a sire and dam 

 must both be good in order to produce good 

 descendants; and yet Gladstone's dam was indi- 

 vidually worthless, and Rodfield's dam has been 

 described to me as of no value except for her pedi- 

 gree. It frequently happens that a dog is much 

 better than either his sire or dam. I can cite an 

 example in a litter which I bred from the grey- 

 hound Mystic Maid, herself only a moderate per- 

 former. I bred her to Astronomy, a still more 

 moderate dog, and the result was one of the best 

 litters of greyhounds I ever saw. All of them 

 were unlucky except Astral Maid. She alone 

 came to coursing form. During the season when 

 she was in good training she won every stake in 

 which she was entered. She was far superior in 

 looks and coursing quality to either her sire 

 or dam. Another greyhound case is that of Mon- 

 soon, winner of the American Waterloo Cup of 

 1 90 1. Monsoon's dam. Little Fairy, was a dwarf- 

 ish and w^iippet-looking thing, but well bred. 

 Monsoon, except for a tendency to run cunning, 

 was one of the best greyhounds ever started in 

 St. Louis, a class beyond either sire or dam. 



