A TREATISE ON BREEDING 57 



pedigree will expose the weak spot, but we feel confident that 

 the cause is not far to seek, and that it is because the dog's 

 physical powers have been overtaxed, for his early successes at 

 the stud did not escape notice. As a rule his stock are particu- 

 larly robust and stout in their early days, and the decline of 

 energy and vital power is not noticeable until their second season 

 comes round. It will be interesting to watch the future progress 

 of his progeny, and it is devoutly to be hoped that the same 

 falling off will not be apparent when the seasons come round, 

 As a useful index to those crosses that have proved most 

 efficacious, we give a table of winners of sixteen dog stakes 

 and upwards with names of their dams, got by Misterton, 

 Macpherson, and Greentick respectively ; following this will be 

 found the tabulated pedigrees of some of the most celebrated 

 stud dogs of the day, and of those that are dead but that are 

 directly represented. 



After perusing the tables of winners springing from the 

 loins of Misterton, Macpherson, and Greentick, the intending 

 breeder can have little doubt as to the success that has con- 

 stantly attended the strains that have been indicated. We 

 have already thrown out a few hints as to inbreeding, in fact 

 our whole argument as followed out in this chapter is entirely 

 in favour of the practice if not carried too far, and if conducted 

 not only with common sense, intelligence, and a general know- 

 ledge of physiology, but with what is of still greater service, ex- 

 perience Take a dog and bitch descended from a common 

 ancestor of marked type or peculiarity ; neither may show 

 the remotest trace of its origin, neither may they resemble 

 each other in any way, yet the produce of their union are 

 usually reproductions of the aforesaid common ancestor, 

 sometimes wonderfully like, but always recognisable. The 

 natural inference is that any great greyhound can be repro- 

 duced simply by mating descendants, and that all a breeder 

 has to do is to follow this theory and produce a succession of 

 Master McGraths, Coomassies, Miss Glendynes, and Fuller- 

 tons ; but such is not the case, and for this reason. 



