ISO BREEDING. 



ley," " Miss Hannah," and " Rival " speak volumes in its approba- 

 tion, all being in-bred and all wonderfully successful. The last- 

 named bitch is a remarkable instance, being by a half-brother out 

 of a half-sister, and yet continuing honest up to her sixth season, 

 when she broke a toe in running the last course but one in a large 

 stake at Ashdown. In her case, too, the blood of the dam was 

 somewhat notorious for a tendency to run cunning; and, indeed, 

 the same might be said of nearly all the strains of which she was 

 composed ; nevertheless, throughout her career she was entirely 

 free from this vice, and "eft off without a stain. She has, how- 

 ever, unfortunately refused to breed ; but as I have never known 

 this peculiarity cor.fi .:cd to in-bred bitches, I do not allege the fact 

 as arising from her close in-breeding. Thus I have shown that in 

 practice, in-and-in breeding, within certain bounds, is not only not 

 prejudicial, but absolutely advantageous, inasmuch as it does not 

 injure the nervous temperament and mental qualities of the pro- 

 duce ; and that the body does not suffer is a well-known fact, 

 easily capable of proof by examining the external forms of the 

 dogs so bred. Theoretically, also, it ought to answer, because we 

 find in nature gregarious wild animals resorting to in-breeding in 

 all cases, the stag adding his daughters to his harem as long as 

 he has strength enough to beat off his younger rivals. In the 

 same way the bull and the stallion fight for supremacy, until at 

 length from age or accident they are beaten off, and a younger 

 and more vigorous animal masters them and their female attend- 

 ants. Yet this appears to be Nature's mode of insuring a superior 

 stock, and preventing the degeneration which occurs among 

 human beings, when a feeble pair take upon themselves the task 

 of producing a family. It would appear that man is an exception 

 to the general rule, for there is a special revelation prohibiting in- 

 termarriages, while we find them constantly going on among 

 brutes, and especially, as above remarked, among gregarious ani- 

 mals. Hence it should not lead us to reason by analogy from one 

 to the other, nor because we find that first cousins among our own 

 race are apt to produce defective children, bodily and mentally, 

 should we conclude that the same evil results will occur when we 



