THE CROSS-BREEDING OF RACES 147 



and horticulturists, a determined and selective crossing of 

 breeds is the very foundation of the breeder's art, and 

 there is no reason to suppose that a " mongrel " is 

 necessarily, or even probably, inferior in vigour or in 

 qualities which are advantageous in the struggle for life in 

 " natural " — that is to say, " larger " — conditions of an 

 animal's or plant's life; not those limited conditions for 

 which the breeder intends his products. Indeed, the very 

 opposite is the case. In nature, as Mr. Darwin showed, 

 there are innumerable contrivances to ensure the cross- 

 breeding of allied but distinct strains. Dog-owners who 

 are not exclusively bent upon possessing a dog which 

 shows in a perfect way the " points " of a breed favoured 

 by the fashion of the moment, or fitting it for some 

 special employment, know very well that a " mongrel " 

 may often exhibit finer qualities of intelligence, or endur- 

 ance, than those exhibited by a dog of pure-bred " race." 

 And the very " races " which are spoken of to-day as 

 " pure-bred," or " thoroughbred," have (as is well known) 

 been produced as " mongrels " — that is to say, by crossing 

 or mating individuals of previously-existing distinct and 

 pure breeds. The history of many such " mongrel breeds," 

 now spoken of as "thoroughbred," is well known. The 

 English racehorse was gradually produced by the " mon- 

 grelizing," or cross-breeding, of several breeds or races — 

 the English warhorse, the Arab, the Barb. A very fine 

 mongrel stock having at last been obtained, it was found, 

 or, at any rate, was considered to be demonstrated, that no 

 further improvement (for the purposes aimed at, namely, 

 flat-racing) could be effected by introducing the blood of 

 other stock. The offspring of the " mongrels " Herod, 

 Matchem, and Eclipse accordingly became established as 

 " the " English racehorse, and thenceforward was mated 

 only within its own race or stock, and was kept pure or 

 "thoroughbred." Another well-known mongrel breed 



