EASTERN COUNTIES VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 75 7 
to proceed. This can be nothing but hereditary idiosyncrasy, and a 
remarkable and interesting argument in its favour. 
Speaking of dogs, Dr. Pritchard relates that the breed of that animal 
found on the banks of the Diver Madeline, and which are employed in 
hunting the “ Peccari , 5 ’ or “ small wild hog .’ 5 He says, they are attached to 
each other, and will hunt together, but the moment a strange dog comes 
in their way they will attack the same with ungovernable fury, and not¬ 
withstanding the efforts of the hunter, who at other times has perfect 
and complete control over them, they will immediately destroy any dog 
belonging to an alien race. 
And the sheep, which we can only look upon as one of our most 
anciently domesticated animals, and in which a great variety of form 
exists; new breeds are being frequently formed in different counties, in 
which particular qualities predominate, according to the preference and 
judgment of the breeder. This is effected partly by crossing or inter¬ 
mixing races already well known ; but in part, also, by selecting an 
individual animal from the stock, in whom some particular qualities are 
more strongly marked than in the generality of the same breed. In 
these instances the natural or congenital variety, or particular excellence 
in form that the animal displays, most likely for the first time, becomes 
perpetuated by hereditary transmission, which is a law in the animal 
economy. 
The question of breeding animals demands no little attention from us, 
whether we breed a horse for the chase, for commerce or for agricultural 
purposes. The horse shows held in nearly every county in England 
have done good work by encouraging a system of rivalry, or, more 
properly, emulation, amongst gentlemen who have both the will and 
means to produce good animals of every class. I myself have known 
several really unsound animals to travel in this vicinity. One of the 
worst roarers I ever heard was a very favourite animal amongst farmers 
for years ; they patronised him extensively because his foals were large, 
with plenty of bone and substance. Certainly, we have as many roarers 
in this country as one would wish to meet with ; and until the agri¬ 
cultural community can be persuaded of the baneful effects of animals 
of this kind we are always safe to have a good number. There are 
hundreds of individuals who are continually increasing the quantity of 
horses without any idea of the necessary qualities required by the sire 
or dam; the result is an increase of animals that are of no real value. 
Some will not pay the price for first-class stallions ; and many more have 
become tired of paying for the use of these animals with such an uncer¬ 
tain result; and if we take into consideration how hardly these 
travelling stallions are worked in the season this is not surprising, for 
the horse gets weary from too frequent copulation and constant travel¬ 
ling ; the consequence is that the provisions of nature are inadequate to 
provide against a process so exhaustive and debilitating, and the animal 
becomes an uncertain foal-getter, or small weedy animals are the result. 
The greater the superiority of the male over the female the more will 
the produce partake of his character; this, as we know, applies not only 
to the horse, but to the still lower animals, oxen and sheep coming more 
particularly under our notice. This we acknowledge in England as the 
most powerful means of preserving or regenerating stock. I think a 
great argument in favour of the sire in having a more powerful effect than 
the dam is, that if a she ass is covered by a horse the offspring is a mule 
that more closely resembles the horse rather than the ass in shape, 
but in height it is more like the latter. On the contrary, a mare covered 
by an ass gives a proper mule, which is more like its sire in form and 
