Chap. XX. BY SEMI-CIVILISED PEOPLE. 207 



he was not killed, but was left to die from sheer neglect. 

 Hardly any nation is more barbarous than the Fuegians, but I 

 hear from Mr. Bridges, the Catechist to the Mission, that 

 " when these savages have a large, strong, and active bitch, they 

 " take care to put her to a fine dog, and even take care to feed 

 " her well, that her young may be strong and well favoured." 



In the interior of Africa, negroes, who have not associated 

 with white men, show great anxiety to improve their animals : 

 they " always choose the larger and stronger males for stock :" 

 the Malakolo were much pleased at Livingstone's promise to 

 send them a bull, and some Bakalolo carried a live cock all the 

 way from Loanda into the interior. 58 Further south on the 

 same continent, Andersson states that he has known a Damara 

 give two fine oxen for a dog which struck his fancy. The 

 Damaras take great delight in having whole droves of cattle of 

 the same colour, and they prize their oxen in proportion to the 

 size of their horns. "The Namaquas have a perfect mania for 

 " a uniform team ; and almost all the people of Southern Africa 

 ;i value their cattle next to their women, and take a pride in 

 " possessing animals that look high-bred." « They rarely or 

 " never make use of a handsome animal as a beast of burden." 59 

 The power of discrimination which these savages possess is 

 wonderful, and they can recognise to which tribe any cattle 

 belong. Mr. Andersson further informs me that the natives 

 frequently match a particular bull with a particular cow. 



The most curious case of selection by semi-civilised people, or 

 indeed by any people, which I have found recorded, is that 

 given by Garcilazo de la Vega, a descendant of the Incas, as 

 having been practised in Peru before the country was subjugated 

 by the Spaniards. 60 The Incas annually held great hunts, when 

 all the wild animals were driven from an immense circuit to a 

 central point. The beasts of prey were first destroyed as inju- 

 rious. The wild Guanacos and Vicunas were sheared; the old 

 males and females killed, and the others set at liberty. The 

 various kinds of deer were examined; the old males and females 



m^ n S j° ^ T IrSt J rav f ls '' PP- 59 Anderson's 'Travels in South 



til 7 ' ? I Se -, 6 J1 80 Es P edltion t0 Africa/ pp. 232, 318, 319. 



annln ' ^V' 495 ' *" an °° D- Vavasseur in 'Bull, de la 



analogous case respecting a good breed Soc. d'Acclimat.,' torn, viii., 1861, p, 



