National Standard Squab Book. 



51 



ing). When (1) a bi'Other is mated to sister or (2) a t'atlier to a daughter, 

 ■or (3) a mother to a son, or (4) a grandson to his grandmother, etc., that 

 is inbreeding. We know it is forbidden by law for liuman beings to mate 

 in that manner, because (a) God in the Scriptures has forbidden it, and 

 (b) because the State does not wish to have to caie for the puny, wealc- 

 niinded ofT.spring that \vonld result from such unions. We all know tliat 

 the marriages of cousins often result in demented, diseased children. Now 

 suppose you buy two do?en pairs of pigeons of us, and number them Pairs 

 1 to 24. If you mate the offspi-ing of Pair 2 (or any other pair) to the o£f- 

 spiiing of Pair 1 (or any other pair) that is outbreeding. What you do 

 not do, and what you try to prevent, is the mating of the offspring of 

 Pair No. 1 (or any other pair) to each other. So, you see, if you have 

 a dozen or two pairs, you need never inbreed, for there is an infinite 

 variety of matlngs possible. Breeders of animals sometimes inbreed pur- 

 posely in order to get better color of fur or plumage, or finer bones, etc., 

 but what is gained in these respects is lost in size and stamina. Fowls 

 hatched from studied inbreedings often are so weak that their progress 

 across the barnyard is like the tottering, falling progress of a drunkard. 

 There are no brothers and sisters in the flocks we sell. If you buy one 

 dozen or twenty dozen pairs of breeders of ns, the pairs will be unrelated, 

 and vou need never inbreed. 



