swine in the year 1810 had greatly changed from what it had 

 been in 1780; and since 1810 at least two distinct sub-breeds 

 have borne this same name. 80 When we bear in mind how 



pidly all animals increase, and that some must be annually 



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slaughtered and some saved for breeding, then, if the 



breeder during a long course of years deliberately settles which 

 shall be saved and which shall be killed, it is almost inevitable 

 that his individual frame of mind will influence the character 

 of his stock, without his having had any intention to modify 

 the breed or form a new strain. 



Unconscious selection in the strictest sense of the word, that 

 is, the saving of the more useful animals and the neglect or 

 slaughter of the less useful, without any thought of the future, 

 must have gone on occasionally from the remotest period and 

 amongst the most barbarous nations. Savages often suffer from 

 famines, and are sometimes expelled by war from their own 

 homes. In such cases it can hardly be doubted that they 

 would save their most useful animals. When the Fue 



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"7 « Ueber Shorthorn Eiudvieh,' 1857, , 79 < Quarterly Keview,' 1849, p. 392. 

 s - 51 • 80 H. von Nathusius, ' Vorstudien 



78 Low, « Domesticated Animals,' .... Sclnveineschaclel,' 1864, s. 140. 

 1845, p. 3G3. 





214 SELECTION. chap. XX. 



marked cases with pigeons: for instance, I had a family of 

 barbs, descended from those long bred by Sir J. Sebright, and 

 another family long bred by another fancier, and the two 

 families plainly differed from each other. Nathusius — and a 

 more competent witness could not be cited — observes that 

 though the Shorthorns are remarkably uniform in appearance 

 (except in colouring), yet that the individual character and 

 wishes of each breeder become impressed on his cattle, so that 

 different herds differ slightly from each other. 77 The Hereford, 

 cattle assumed their present well-marked character soon after 

 the year J 769, through careful selection by Mr. Tomkins, 78 and 

 the breed has lately split into two strains — one strain having 

 a white face, and differing slightly, it is said, 79 in some other 

 points; but there is no reason to believe that this split, the 

 origin of which is unknown, was intentionally made ; it may with 

 much more probability be attributed to different breeders having 

 attended to different points. So again, the Berkshire breed of 



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