128 A NEW THEORY OF EVOLUTION. 



they win their prizes, over selecting slight 

 differences, yet they ignore all general argu- 

 ments and refuse to sum up in their minds 

 slight differences accumulated during many 

 successive generations." l 



To us the breeder's conclusion is justified 

 by his experience, that the more he en- 

 deavours to develop the animals he breeds, 

 the more closely do the progeny conform to 

 the family type, and the less do the differ- 

 ences in expression become. 



The breeder's explanation, of what he 

 would probably consider the delusion of the 

 theorist, might be, that long-continued efforts 

 to explain phenomena in accordance with a 

 favourite theory, blinds him to the signific- 

 ance of facts that contradict his hypothesis. 



Dogs and other Domestic Animals. 



Observations similar to the preceding are 

 applicable to Darwin's examples of varia- 

 tion in dogs and other animals, and need 

 not be repeated. 



It may, however, be observed that, as in 

 cattle and in pigeons, no new race of dogs 

 has been recorded, although crosses are some- 

 times passed off as a new breed. 



1 Origin of Species, Ed. vi., p. 21. 



