102 PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 



forbidden by Divine authority, but not until the pecu- 

 liar race was fully established, and so far multiplied, as 

 to allow departure from close breeding without change 

 of characteristics, and not improbably the prohibition 

 was even then based more upon moral reasons, or upon 

 man's ignorance or recklessness regarding selection, 

 than upon physical law. 



Such laws exist among us at present, and it is well 

 they do, inasmuch as for the reasons already given 

 there is greater probability of degeneracy by means of 

 such connections than among those not so related by 

 blood. But they present an instance of the imperfec- 

 tion of human laws, it being impossible for any legal 

 enactments to prevent wholly the evil thus sought to 

 be avoided. It would be better far, if such a degree of 

 physiological knowledge existed and such caution was 

 exercised among the community generally, as would 

 prevent the contraction of any marriages, where, from 

 the structure and endowments of the parties, debility, 

 deformity, insanity or idiocy must inevitably be the 

 portion of their offspring whether they are more 

 nearly related than through their common ancestor, 

 Noah, or not. 



If we adopt Mr. Walker's views, it is easy to see how 

 parents of near a£5nities may produce offspring perfect 

 and healthy, or the reverse. He holds, that to secure 



