258 IN-AND-IN BREEDING. 



admitted that, by this plan, you do not deteriorate your stock in 

 elegance of shape, but it is supposed that there is a great falling 

 off in size and stoutness, and more especially in the substance of 

 the bone, which, however, is a desideratum, rather than otherwise, 

 with cattle and sheep-breeders, although with the greyhound- 

 breeder bone is a great object. On the other hand, Mr. Thacker, 

 the great advocate of this plan, maintains that though in the 

 greyhound there are certainly some exceptions, stoutness can only 

 be insured by ' in-and-in ' breeding, and that a decided cross will be 

 assuredly prejudicial to that quality. As an instance of this theory, 

 he brings forward, in his ( Breeder's Guide,' the case of ' Hour- 

 glass,' and ' Harriet Wilson,' which were well known to be re- 

 markably stout, and yet very much in-bred. In the fourth 

 volume of his 'Annual,' he also adduces Mr. A. Graham's 'Screw' 

 as an instance of stoutness in an animal much bred ' in-and-in.' 

 Some parts of that pedigree, however, are incorrect, and 

 therefore though I have little doubt that she was so bred, yet, as 

 part is undoubtedly wrong, the whole may be, and consequently 

 no great stress can be laid upon this example. Mr. Welch also 

 has adduced Mundy's f Wonder,' the 'Nottingham Violet,' Dr. 

 Scott's ( Sparrowhawk,' Eobinson's e Streamer,' and Mr. A. Gra- 

 ham's ' Agitation,' as all ' in-bred,' and all stout. 



A remarkable case of stoutness, combined with ( in-and-in' 

 breeding, is that of Sir James Boswell's celebrated litter, com- 

 posed of ' Vraye Foy,' ' Auchinleck,' c The Curler,' ' Sweetheart,' 

 ' Polka,' and ' Eosa,' which were not only stout runners, but have 

 perpetuated this quality in their stock, ' Lopez,' ( Egypt,' and 



