Chap. XX. SELECTION. 193 



of the direct action of the conditions of life we shall in a future 

 chapter recur. 



When animals or plants are born with some conspicuous and 

 firmly inherited new character, selection is reduced to the pre- 

 servation of such individuals, and to the subsequent prevention of 

 crosses ; so that nothing more need be said on the subject. But 

 in the great majority of cases a new character, or some superi- 

 . ority in an* old character, is at first faintly pronounced, and is 

 not strongly inherited ; and then the full difficulty of selection 

 is experienced. Indomitable patience, the finest powers of 

 discrimination, and sound judgment must be exercised during 

 many year's. A clearly predetermined object must be kept 

 steadily in view. Few men are endowed with all these qualities, 

 especially with that of discriminating very slight differences ; 

 judgment can be acquired only by long experience • but if any 

 of these qualities be wanting, the labour of a life may be thrown 

 away. I have been astonished when celebrated breeders, whose 

 skill and judgment have been proved by their success at exhi- 

 bitions, have shown me their animals, which appeared all alike, 

 and have assigned their reasons for matching this and that indi- 

 vidual. The importance of the great principle of Selection 

 mainly lies in this power of selecting scarcely appreciable 

 differences, which nevertheless are found to be transmissible 

 and which can be accumulated until the result is made manifest 

 to the eyes of every beholder. 



The principle of selection maybe conveniently divided into 

 three kinds. Methodical selection is that which guides a man 

 who systematically endeavours to modify a breed according to 

 some predetermined standard. Unconscious selection is that 

 which follows from men naturally preserving the most valued 

 and destroying the less valued individuals, without any thought 

 of altering the breed; and undoubtedly this process slowlv 

 works great changes. Unconscious selection graduates into 

 methodical, and only extreme cases can be distinctly separated ; 



rilXl.° f PreS T S . a . USeM ° r P erfect animal gene- 

 Uy b eed rom it with the hope of getting offspring of the 



Zosfto ^ + r/° ng " hG has not a P-determined 

 purpose to improve the breed, he may be said to be selecting 



