226 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 



side it has been lost sight of, because the knowledge of the sire's and 

 grandsire's blood is generally the extent to which the inquiry goes. Thus, 

 we find the most recent writer on the subject, who assumes the name of 

 "Craven," asserting, at page 121 of "The Horse" — "There is no 

 proximity of relationship in the genealogy of the Flying Dutchman, 

 Touchstone, Melbourne, Epirus, Alarm, Bay Middleton, Hero, Orlando, 

 Irish Birdcatcher, Cossack, Harkaway, Tearaway, Lothario, or others of 

 celebrity." Now, of these the Flying Dutchman is the produce of 

 second cousins ; Bay Middleton, his sire, being also in-bred to William- 

 son's Ditto and Walton, own brothers ; and Orlando, containing in his 

 pedigree Selim twice over, and Castrel, his brother, in addition, Mel- 

 bourne also is the produce of third cousins, both his sire and dam being 

 descended from Highflyer. But if to these four, which he has specially 

 named, be added the numerous "others of celebrity" to which I have 

 drawn attention, besides a host of lesser stars too numerous to mention, 

 it will be admitted that he assumes for granted the exact opposite of 

 what is really the case. 



The choice of particular stallions, as dependent upon their formation, 

 is not less difficult than that of the mare, and it must be guided by nearly 

 the same principles, except that there is no occasion for any framework 

 especially calculated for nourishing and containing the foetus, as in her 

 case. As far as possible, the horse should be the counterpart of what is 

 desired in the produce, though sometimes it may be necessary to select 

 an animal of a breed slightly exaggerating the peculiarity which is sought 

 for, especially when that is not connected with the preponderance of fore 

 or hind-quarters. Thus, if the mare is very leggy, a more than usually 

 short-legged horse may be selected, or if her neck is too short or too 

 long, an animal with this organ particularly long, or the reverse as the 

 case may be, should be sought out. But in all cases it is dangerous to 

 attempt to« sudden alteration with regard to size, as the effort will gen- 

 erally end in a colt without a due proportion of parts, and therefore more 

 or less awkward and unwieldly. 



In constitution and general health, the same remarks exactly apply to 

 the horse as the mare. All hereditary diseases are to be avoided as far 

 as possible, though few horses are to be met with entirely free from all 

 kinds of unsoundness, some the effects of severe training, and others 

 resulting from actual disease, occurring from other causes. With regard 

 ^o fatness, there is an extraordinary desire for horses absolutely loaded 

 with fat, just as there formerly was for overfed oxen at Christmas. It 

 *s quite true that the presence of a moderate quantity of fat is a sign of 

 ft good constitution, but, like all other good qualities, it may be carried 

 \o excess, so as to produce disease ; and just as there often is hypertro- 



