266 BREEDING. 



backing one another at the same time without game near them; 

 and, what is worse, they could not be stirred from their position. 

 This last was from a want of mental capacity, for it is by their 

 reasoning powers that these dogs find out when they have made 

 a mistake, and without a good knowledge-box the pointer and 

 setter are for this reason quite useless. But the breed I allude to, 

 when once they had become stiff, were like Chinese idols, and 

 must absolutely be kicked or whipped up in order to make them 

 start off beating again. Mr. A. Graham, who has had a long 

 experience in breeding greyhounds, and was at one time so 

 successful as to obtain the name of " The Emperor of Coursers," 

 has laid down the rule that " once in and twice out " is the proper 

 extent to which breeding in the greyhound should be carried, 

 and probably the same will apply to other breeds. Sometimes a 

 sister may be put to a brother even, when there was no previous 

 near relationship in their sire and dam; but though this has 

 answered well two or three times, it is not to be generally re- 

 commended. A father may in preference be put to a daughter, 

 because there is only half the same blood in them, when the sire 

 and dam of the latter were not related ; or an uncle to a niece ; 

 but the best plan is to obtain a dog which has some considerable 

 portion of the same blood as the bitch, but separated by one or 

 two crosses ; that is to say, to put two animals together whose 

 grandfathers or great-grandfathers were brothers, but whose 

 mothers and grandmothers were no relation to each other. This 

 relationship will do equally well on the dam's side, and the grand- 

 mother may be sister to the grandsire, quite as well as having 

 the two grandsires brothers. The practice of breeding-in to 

 this extent has been extensively adopted of late years, and has 

 answered well with the greyhound, in which breed, as used 

 for public coursing, the names of "Harriet "Wilson," "Hour- 



