their  Breeding  and  Management. 
25 
In  the  conscientious  discharge  of  my  unsought-for  task  I am 
nothing  daunted  nor  yet  discouraged  by  the  suggestion  of 
difficulties  which  are  well  known  and  recognised  by  all  men  of 
action  and  all  men  of  science.  Tottering  inclination  often 
wants  the  support  of  stable  judgment — the  complaint  appears 
to  be  that  in  our  day  inclination  does  not  always  walk  hand  in 
hand  with  judgment.  From  his  own  point  of  view,  however, 
I fully  understand  and  quite  appreciate  Mr.  Booth’s  objections  ; 
yet  proverbial  wisdom  teaches  that  by  others’  faults  wise  men 
correct  their  own.  I replied,  so  far  as  I am  concerned,  all 
views  are  acceptable  to  me.  My  only  object— my  obvious  duty 
— is  to  state  the  whole  case  to  the  best  of  my  ability  : fully,  clearly, 
and  honestly.  In  addition  and  supplementary  to  blood  we  must 
have  substance  from  somewhere.  Weight-carrying  half-bred 
horses,  chargers  and  hunters,  and  strong  and  nimble  and  enduring 
hacks,  are,  and  will  continue  to  be  for  ages  to  come,  more  and 
more  in  demand,  and  will  and  must  be  continually,  perhaps 
increasingly,  produced  in  their  natural  home — England — and  that 
in  the  greatest  possible  perfection.  And  if  in  this  affair  we  cannot 
attain  to  the  absolute  certainty  of  science,  the  convergence  of 
many  minds  and  many  experiences  towards  one  centre  may 
result  in  the  evolution  of  some  recognised  principles  for  our 
guidance  in  this,  an  important  business  of  our  every-day  lives.* 
Science  is  no  more  than  system — an  aim  as  opposed  to  a 
random  shot.  Infant  science  seeks  to  give  a desired,  rapid, 
and  more  certain  effect  to  the  old  old  law  of  natural  selection  : 
as  I have  written  in  a former  volume  of  this  ‘ Journal,’  such 
commendable  and  necessary  attempts  as  this  now  in  question 
may  be  well  described  as  youthful  Science  pluckily  endeavour- 
ing to  gain  some  footing  on  a very  slippery  spot. 
I just  now  observed  that  from  relevant  facts,  mentally  soaked, 
important  principles  may  sometimes  be  evolved.  Take  for 
example,  I fear  an  unworthy  example  : in  1875  I had  occasion 
to  think  concerning  many  facts  bearing  upon  a particular 
matter  then  in  question,  which  thought  resulted  to  my  surprise 
in  the  evolution  of  a general  principle  that  since  I have  myself 
applied  usefully,  and  which  may  or  may  not  be  of  general 
application — it  is  this: — the  more  artificial  the  condition  the 
* See,  for  example,  how  Mr.  James  Howard,  M.P.,  practically  treats  the 
physiology  of  breeding,  “ The  Application  of  Natural  Laws  to  the  Breeding  of 
Horses,  Cattle,  and  Sheep.”  I always  refer  to  these  pages  with  pleasure.  From  his 
own  reading  and  observation,  and  after  the  comparison  of  notes  with  Mr.  McCombie 
and  other  breeders,  Mr.  Howard  was  enabled  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
certain  cardinal  points  in  the  art  of  breeding  have  been  fairly  established.  Such, 
for  instance,  ns  outward  conformation  being  derived  from  the  male  parent,  the 
internal  organs  chiefly  from  the  female,  and  so  on.— Jour.  Iioy.  Agri.  Soc.,  vol.  xvii, 
1881,  p.  210.  But  a vast  deal  remains  to  be  said  on  these  as  yet  doubtful  principles 
of  prepotency  of  transmission. — C. 
