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  Indomitablepatience,thefinestpowersofdiscrimination,andsoundjudgmentmustbeexercisedduringmanyyears。Aclearlypredeterminedobjectmustbekeptsteadilyinview。Fewmenareendowedwithallthesequalities,especiallywiththatofdiscriminatingveryslightdifferences;judgmentcanbeacquiredonlybylongexperience;butifanyofthesequalitiesbewanting,thelabourofalifemaybethrownaway。Ihavebeenastonishedwhencelebratedbreeders,whoseskillandjudgmenthavebeenprovedbytheirsuccessatexhibitions,haveshownmetheiranimals,whichappearedallalike,andhaveassignedtheirreasonsformatchingthisandthatindividual。TheimportanceofthegreatprincipleofSelectionmainlyliesinthispowerofselectingscarcelyappreciabledifferences,whichneverthelessarefoundtobetransmissible,andwhichcanbeaccumulateduntiltheresultismademanifesttotheeyesofeverybeholder。

  Theprincipleofselectionmaybeconvenientlydividedintothreekinds。

  METHODICALSELECTIONisthatwhichguidesamanwhosystematicallyendeavourstomodifyabreedaccordingtosomepredeterminedstandard。UNCONSCIOUS

  SELECTIONisthatwhichfollowsfrommennaturallypreservingthemostvaluedanddestroyingthelessvaluedindividuals,withoutanythoughtofalteringthebreed;andundoubtedlythisprocessslowlyworksgreatchanges。

  Unconsciousselectiongraduatesintomethodical,andonlyextremecasescanbedistinctlyseparated;forhewhopreservesausefulorperfectanimalwillgenerallybreedfromitwiththehopeofgettingoffspringofthesamecharacter;butaslongashehasnotapredeterminedpurposetoimprovethebreed,hemaybesaidtobeselectingunconsciously。(20/1。Theterm\"unconsciousselection\"hasbeenobjectedtoasacontradiction;butseesomeexcellentobservationsonthisheadbyProf。Huxley(’Nat。Hist。Review’

  October1864page578)whoremarksthatwhenthewindheapsupsand—dunesitsiftsandUNCONSCIOUSLYSELECTSfromthegravelonthebeachgrainsofsandofequalsize。)Lastly,wehaveNATURALSELECTION,whichimpliesthattheindividualswhicharebestfittedforthecomplex,andinthecourseofageschangingconditionstowhichtheyareexposed,generallysurviveandprocreatetheirkind。Withdomesticproductions,naturalselectioncomestoacertainextentintoaction,independentlyof,andeveninoppositionto,thewillofman。

  METHODICALSELECTION。

  WhatmanhaseffectedwithinrecenttimesinEnglandbymethodicalselectionisclearlyshownbyourexhibitionsofimprovedquadrupedsandfancybirds。

  Withrespecttocattle,sheep,andpigs,weowetheirgreatimprovementtoalongseriesofwell—knownnames——Bakewell,Coiling,Ellman,Bates,JonasWebb,LordsLeicesterandWestern,FisherHobbs,andothers。Agriculturalwritersareunanimousonthepowerofselection:anynumberofstatementstothiseffectcouldbequoted;afewwillsuffice。Youatt,asagaciousandexperiencedobserver,writes(20/2。’OnSheep’1838page60。)theprincipleofselectionis\"thatwhichenablestheagriculturist,notonlytomodifythecharacterofhisflock,buttochangeitaltogether。\"AgreatbreederofShorthorns(20/3。Mr。J。WrightonShorthornCattlein’JournalofRoyalAgricult。Soc。’volume7pages208,209。)says,\"IntheanatomyoftheshouldermodernbreedershavemadegreatimprovementontheKettonshorthornsbycorrectingthedefectintheknuckleorshoulder—joint,andbylayingthetopoftheshouldermoresnuglyinthecrop,andtherebyfillingupthehollowbehindit……Theeyehasitsfashionatdifferentperiods:atonetimetheeyehighandoutstandingfromthehead,andatanothertimethesleepyeyesunkintothehead;buttheseextremeshavemergedintothemediumofafull,clearandprominenteyewithaplacidlook。\"

  Again,hearwhatanexcellentjudgeofpigs(20/4。H。D。Richardson’OnPigs’

  1847page44。)says:\"Thelegsshouldbenolongerthanjusttopreventtheanimal’sbellyfromtrailingontheground。Thelegistheleastprofitableportionofthehog,andwethereforerequirenomoreofitthanisabsolutelynecessaryforthesupportoftherest。\"Letanyonecomparethewild—boarwithanyimprovedbreed,andhewillseehoweffectuallythelegshavebeenshortened。

  Fewpersons,exceptbreeders,areawareofthesystematiccaretakeninselectinganimals,andofthenecessityofhavingaclearandalmostpropheticvisionintofuturity。LordSpencer’sskillandjudgmentwerewellknown;andhewrites(20/5。’JournalofRoyalAgricult。Soc。’volume1page24。),\"Itisthereforeverydesirable,beforeanymancommencestobreedeithercattleorsheep,thatheshouldmakeuphismindtotheshapeandqualitieshewishestoobtain,andsteadilypursuethisobject。\"LordSomerville,inspeakingofthemarvellousimprovementoftheNewLeicestersheep,effectedbyBakewellandhissuccessors,says,\"Itwouldseemasiftheyhadfirstdrawnaperfectform,andthengivenitlife。\"Youatt(20/6。’OnSheep’pages520,319。)urgesthenecessityofannuallydraftingeachflock,asmanyanimalswillcertainlydegenerate\"fromthestandardofexcellencewhichthebreederhasestablishedinhisownmind。\"Evenwithabirdofsuchlittleimportanceasthecanary,longago(1780—1790)ruleswereestablished,andastandardofperfectionwasfixedaccordingtowhichtheLondonfancierstriedtobreedtheseveralsub—

  varieties。(20/7。Loudon’s’Mag。ofNat。Hist。’volume81835page618。)A

  greatwinnerofprizesatthePigeon—shows(20/8。’AtreatiseontheArtofBreedingtheAlmondTumbler’1851page9。),indescribingtheshort—facedAlmondTumbler,says,\"Therearemanyfirst—ratefancierswhoareparticularlypartialtowhatiscalledthegoldfinch—beak,whichisverybeautiful;otherssay,takeafull—sizeroundcherrythentakeabarleycorn,andjudiciouslyplacingandthrustingitintothecherry,formasitwereyourbeak;andthatisnotall,foritwillformagoodheadandbeak,provided,asIsaidbefore,itisjudiciouslydone;otherstakeanoat;butasIthinkthegoldfinch—beakthehandsomest,Iwouldadvisetheinexperiencedfanciertogettheheadofagoldfinch,andkeepitbyhimforhisobservation。\"Wonderfullydifferentasarethebeaksoftherockpigeonandgoldfinch,theendhasundoubtedlybeennearlygained,asfarasexternalshapeandproportionsareconcerned。

  Notonlyshouldouranimalsbeexaminedwiththegreatestcarewhilstalive,but,asAndersonremarks(20/9。’RecreationsinAgriculture’volume2page409。)theircarcasesshouldbescrutinised,\"soastobreedfromthedescendantsofsuchonlyas,inthelanguageofthebutcher,cutupwell。\"The\"grainofthemeat\"incattle,anditsbeingwellmarbledwithfat(20/10。

  ’YouattonCattle’pages191,227。),andthegreaterorlessaccumulationoffatintheabdomenofoursheep,havebeenattendedtowithsuccess。Sowithpoultry,awriter(20/11。Ferguson’PrizePoultry’1854page208。),speakingofCochin—Chinafowls,whicharesaidtodiffermuchinthequalityoftheirflesh,says,\"thebestmodeistopurchasetwoyoungbrother—cocks,kill,dress,andserveupone;ifhebeindifferent,similarlydisposeoftheother,andtryagain;if,however,hebefineandwell—flavoured,hisbrotherwillnotbeamissforbreedingpurposesforthetable。\"

  Thegreatprincipleofthedivisionoflabourhasbeenbroughttobearonselection。Incertaindistricts(20/12。Wilsonin’Transact。HighlandAgricult。Soc。’quotedin’Gardener’sChronicle’1844page29。)\"thebreedingofbullsisconfinedtoaverylimitednumberofpersons,whobydevotingtheirwholeattentiontothisdepartment,areablefromyeartoyeartofurnishaclassofbullswhicharesteadilyimprovingthegeneralbreedofthedistrict。\"Therearingandlettingofchoiceramshaslongbeen,asiswellknown,achiefsourceofprofittoseveraleminentbreeders。InpartsofGermanythisprincipleiscarriedwithmerinosheeptoanextremepoint。

  (20/13。Simmondsquotedin’Gardener’sChronicle’1855page637。Andforthesecondquotationsee’YouattonSheep’page171。)So\"importantistheproperselectionofbreedinganimalsconsidered,thatthebestflock—mastersdonottrusttotheirownjudgmentortothatoftheirshepherds,butemploypersonscalled’sheep—classifiers’whomakeittheirspecialbusinesstoattendtothispartofthemanagementofseveralflocks,andthustopreserve,orifpossibletoimprove,thebestqualitiesofbothparentsinthelambs。\"InSaxony,\"whenthelambsareweaned,eachinhisturnisplaceduponatablethathiswoolandformmaybeminutelyobserved。Thefinestareselectedforbreedingandreceiveafirstmark。Whentheyareoneyearold,andpriortoshearingthem,anothercloseexaminationofthosepreviouslymarkedtakesplace:thoseinwhichnodefectcanbefoundreceiveasecondmark,andtherestarecondemned。Afewmonthsafterwardsathirdandlastscrutinyismade;

  theprimeramsandewesreceiveathirdandfinalmark,buttheslightestblemishissufficienttocausetherejectionoftheanimal。\"Thesesheeparebredandvaluedalmostexclusivelyforthefinenessoftheirwool;andtheresultcorrespondswiththelabourbestowedontheirselection。Instrumentshavebeeninventedtomeasureaccuratelythethicknessofthefibres;and\"anAustrianfleecehasbeenproducedofwhichtwelvehairsequalledinthicknessonefromaLeicestersheep。\"

  Throughouttheworld,whereversilkisproduced,thegreatestcareisbestowedonselectingthecocoonsfromwhichthemothsforbreedingaretobereared。A

  carefulcultivator(20/14。Robinet’VersaSoie’1848page271。)likewiseexaminesthemothsthemselves,anddestroysthosethatarenotperfect。ButwhatmoreimmediatelyconcernsusisthatcertainfamiliesinFrancedevotethemselvestoraisingeggsforsale。(20/15。Quatrefages’LesMaladiesduVeraSoie’1859page101。)InChina,nearShanghai,theinhabitantsoftwosmalldistrictshavetheprivilegeofraisingeggsforthewholesurroundingcountry,andthattheymaygiveuptheirwholetimetothisbusiness,theyareinterdictedbylawfromproducingsilk。(20/16。M。Simonin’Bull。delaSoc。

  d’Acclimat。’tome91862page221。)

  Thecarewhichsuccessfulbreederstakeinmatchingtheirbirdsissurprising。

  SirJohnSebright,whosefameisperpetuatedbythe\"SebrightBantam,\"usedtospend\"twoandthreedaysinexamining,consulting,anddisputingwithafriendwhichwerethebestoffiveorsixbirds。\"(20/17。’ThePoultryChronicle’volume11854page607。)Mr。Bult,whosepouter—pigeonswonsomanyprizes,andwereexportedtoNorthAmericaunderthechargeofamansentonpurpose,toldmethathealwaysdeliberatedforseveraldaysbeforehematchedeachpair。Hencewecanunderstandtheadviceofaneminentfancier,whowrites(20/18。J。M。Eaton’ATreatiseonFancyPigeons’1852page14and’A

  TreatiseontheAlmondTumbler’1851page11。)\"Iwouldhereparticularlyguardyouagainsthavingtoogreatavarietyofpigeons,otherwiseyouwillknowalittleofall,butnothingaboutoneasitoughttobeknown。\"

  Apparentlyittranscendsthepowerofthehumanintellecttobreedallkinds:

  \"itispossiblethattheremaybeafewfanciersthathaveagoodgeneralknowledgeoffancypigeons;buttherearemanymorewholabourunderthedelusionofsupposingtheyknowwhattheydonot。\"Theexcellenceofonesub—

  variety,theAlmondTumbler,liesintheplumage,carriage,head,beak,andeye;butitistoopresumptuousinthebeginnertotryforallthesepoints。

  Thegreatjudgeabovequotedsays,\"Therearesomeyoungfancierswhoareover—covetous,whogoforalltheabovefivepropertiesatonce;theyhavetheirrewardbygettingnothing。\"Wethusseethatbreedingevenfancypigeonsisnosimpleart:wemaysmileatthesolemnityoftheseprecepts,buthewholaughswillwinnoprizes。

  Whatmethodicalselectionhaseffectedforouranimalsissufficientlyproved,asalreadyremarked,byourExhibitions。Sogreatlywerethesheepbelongingtosomeoftheearlierbreeders,suchasBakewellandLordWestern,changed,thatmanypersonscouldnotbepersuadedthattheyhadnotbeencrossed。Ourpigs,asMr。Corringhamremarks(20/19。’JournalRoyalAgriculturalSoc。’

  volume6page22。)duringthelasttwentyyearshaveundergone,throughrigorousselectiontogetherwithcrossing,acompletemetamorphosis。ThefirstexhibitionforpoultrywasheldintheZoologicalGardensin1845;andtheimprovementeffectedsincethattimehasbeengreat。AsMr。Bailey,thegreatjudge,remarkedtome,itwasformerlyorderedthatthecomboftheSpanishcockshouldbeupright,andinfourorfiveyearsallgoodbirdshaduprightcombs;itwasorderedthatthePolishcockshouldhavenocomborwattles,andnowabirdthusfurnishedwouldbeatoncedisqualified;beardswereordered,andoutoffifty—sevenpenslately(1860)exhibitedattheCrystalPalace,allhadbeards。Soithasbeeninmanyothercases。Butinallcasesthejudgesorderonlywhatisoccasionallyproducedandwhatcanbeimprovedandrenderedconstantbyselection。Thesteadyincreaseinweightduringthelastfewyearsinourfowls,turkeys,ducks,andgeeseisnotorious;\"six—poundducksarenowcommon,whereasfourpoundswasformerlytheaverage。\"Asthetimerequiredtomakeachangehasnotoftenbeenrecorded,itmaybeworthmentioningthatittookMr。Wickingthirteenyearstoputacleanwhiteheadonanalmondtumbler’sbody,\"atriumph,\"saysanotherfancier,\"ofwhichhemaybejustlyproud。\"(20/20。’PoultryChronicle’volume21855page596。)

  Mr。Tollet,ofBetleyHall,selectedcows,andespeciallybulls,descendedfromgoodmilkers,forthesolepurposeofimprovinghiscattlefortheproductionofcheese;hesteadilytestedthemilkwiththelactometer,andineightyearsheincreased,asIwasinformedbyhim,theproductinproportionoffourtothree。Hereisacuriouscase(20/21。Isid。GeoffroySt。—Hilaire’Hist。Nat。Gen。’tome3page254。)ofsteadybutslowprogress,withtheendnotasyetfullyattained:in1784araceofsilkwormswasintroducedintoFrance,inwhichonehundredinthethousandfailedtoproducewhitecocoons;

  butnowaftercarefulselectionduringsixty—fivegenerations,theproportionofyellowcocoonshasbeenreducedtothirty—fiveinthethousand。

  Withplantsselectionhasbeenfollowedwiththesamegoodresultaswithanimals。Buttheprocessissimpler,forplantsinthegreatmajorityofcasesbearbothsexes。Nevertheless,withmostkindsitisnecessarytotakeasmuchcaretopreventcrossesaswithanimalsorunisexualplants;butwithsomeplants,suchaspeas,thiscareisnotnecessary。Withallimprovedplants,exceptingofcoursethosewhicharepropagatedbybuds,cuttings,etc。,itisalmostindispensabletoexaminetheseedlingsanddestroythosewhichdepartfromthepropertype。Thisiscalled\"roguing,\"andis,infact,aformofselection,liketherejectionofinferioranimals。Experiencedhorticulturistsandagriculturistsincessantlyurgeeveryonetopreservethefinestplantsfortheproductionofseed。

  Althoughplantsoftenpresentmuchmoreconspicuousvariationsthananimals,yettheclosestattentionisgenerallyrequisitetodetecteachslightandfavourablechange。Mr。Mastersrelates(20/22。’Gardener’sChronicle’1850

  page198。)how\"manyapatienthourwasdevoted,\"whilsthewasyoung,tothedetectionofdifferencesinpeasintendedforseed。Mr。Barnet(20/23。

  ’Transact。Hort。Soc。’volume6page152。)remarksthattheoldscarletAmericanstrawberrywascultivatedformorethanacenturywithoutproducingasinglevariety;andanotherwriterobserveshowsingularitwasthatwhengardenersfirstbegantoattendtothisfruititbegantovary;thetruthnodoubtbeingthatithadalwaysvaried,butthat,untilslightvariationswereselectedandpropagatedbyseed,noconspicuousresultwasobtained。Thefinestshadesofdifferenceinwheathavebeendiscriminatedandselectedwithalmostasmuchcareas,inthecaseofthehigheranimals,forinstancebyCol。LeCouteurandmoreespeciallybyMajorHallett。

  Itmaybeworthwhiletogiveafewexamplesofmethodicalselectionwithplants;butinfactthegreatimprovementofallourancientlycultivatedplantsmaybeattributedtoselectionlongcarriedon,inpartmethodically,andinpartunconsciously。Ihaveshowninaformerchapterhowtheweightofthegooseberryhasbeenincreasedbysystematicselectionandculture。TheflowersoftheHeartseasehavebeensimilarlyincreasedinsizeandregularityofoutline。WiththeCineraria,Mr。Glenny(20/24。’JournalofHorticulture’

  1862page369。)\"wasboldenoughwhentheflowerswereraggedandstarryandilldefinedincolour,tofixastandardwhichwasthenconsideredoutrageouslyhighandimpossible,andwhich,evenifreached,itwassaid,weshouldbenogainersby,asitwouldspoilthebeautyoftheflowers。Hemaintainedthathewasright;andtheeventhasprovedittobeso。\"Thedoublingofflowershasseveraltimesbeeneffectedbycarefulselection:theRev。W。Williamson(20/25’Transact。Hort。Soc。’volume4page381。),aftersowingduringseveralyearsseedofAnemonecoronaria,foundaplantwithoneadditionalpetal;hesowedtheseedofthis,andbyperseveranceinthesamecourseobtainedseveralvarietieswithsixorsevenrowsofpetals。ThesingleScotchrosewasdoubled,andyieldedeightgoodvarietiesinnineortenyears。(20/26。’Transact。Hort。Soc。’volume4page285。)TheCanterburybell(Campanulamedium)wasdoubledbycarefulselectioninfourgenerations。

  (20/27。Rev。W。Bromeheadin’Gardener’sChronicle’1857page550。)InfouryearsMr。Buckman(20/28。’Gardener’sChronicle’1862page721。),bycultureandcarefulselection,convertedparsnips,raisedfromwildseed,intoanewandgoodvariety。Byselectionduringalongcourseofyears,theearlymaturityofpeashasbeenhastenedbybetweentenandtwenty—onedays。(20/29。

  Dr。Andersonin’TheBee’volume6page96;Mr。Barnesin’Gardener’sChronicle’1844page476。)Amorecuriouscaseisofferedbythebeetplant,whichsinceitscultivationinFrance,hasalmostexactlydoubleditsyieldofsugar。Thishasbeeneffectedbythemostcarefulselection;thespecificgravityoftherootsbeingregularlytested,andthebestrootssavedfortheproductionofseed。(20/30。Godron’Del’Espece’1859tome2page69;

  ’Gardener’sChronicle’1854page258。)

  SELECTIONBYANCIENTANDSEMI—CIVILISEDPEOPLE。

  Inattributingsomuchimportancetotheselectionofanimalsandplants,itmaybeobjected,thatmethodicalselectionwouldnothavebeencarriedonduringancienttimes。Adistinguishednaturalistconsidersitasabsurdtosupposethatsemi—civilisedpeopleshouldhavepractisedselectionofanykind。Undoubtedlytheprinciplehasbeensystematicallyacknowledgedandfollowedtoafargreaterextentwithinthelasthundredyearsthanatanyformerperiod,andacorrespondingresulthasbeengained;butitwouldbeagreatererrortosuppose,asweshallimmediatelysee,thatitsimportancewasnotrecognisedandactedonduringthemostancienttimes,andbysemi—

  civilisedpeople。Ishouldpremisethatmanyfactsnowtobegivenonlyshowthatcarewastakeninbreeding;butwhenthisisthecase,selectionisalmostsuretobepractisedtoacertainextent。Weshallhereafterbeenabledbettertojudgehowfarselection,whenonlyoccasionallycarriedon,byafewoftheinhabitantsofacountry,willslowlyproduceagreateffect。

  Inawell—knownpassageinthethirtiethchapterofGenesis,rulesaregivenforinfluencing,aswasthenthoughtpossible,thecolourofsheep;andspeckledanddarkbreedsarespokenofasbeingkeptseparate。BythetimeofDavidthefleecewaslikenedtosnow。Youatt(20/31。’OnSheep’page18。),whohasdiscussedallthepassagesinrelationtobreedingintheOldTestament,concludesthatatthisearlyperiod\"someofthebestprinciplesofbreedingmusthavebeensteadilyandlongpursued。\"Itwasordered,accordingtoMoses,that\"Thoushaltnotletthycattlegenderwithadiversekind;\"butmuleswerepurchased(20/32。Volz’BeitragezurKulturgeschichte’1852s。47。)sothatatthisearlyperiodothernationsmusthavecrossedthehorseandass。

  Itissaid(20/33。Mitford’HistoryofGreece’volume1page73。)thatErichthonius,somegenerationsbeforetheTrojanwar,hadmanybrood—mares,\"whichbyhiscareandjudgmentinthechoiceofstallionsproducedabreedofhorsessuperiortoanyinthesurroundingcountries。\"Homer(Book5)speaksofAeneas’horsesasbredfrommareswhichwereputtothesteedsofLaomedon。

  Plato,inhis’Republic’saystoGlaucus,\"Iseethatyouraiseatyourhouseagreatmanydogsforthechase。Doyoutakecareaboutbreedingandpairingthem?Amonganimalsofgoodblood,aretherenotalwayssomewhicharesuperiortotherest?\"TowhichGlaucusanswersintheaffirmative。(20/34。

  Dr。Dallytranslatedin’AnthropologicalReview’May1864page101。)AlexandertheGreatselectedthefinestIndiancattletosendtoMacedoniatoimprovethebreed。(20/35。Volz’Beitrage’etc。1852s。80。)AccordingtoPliny(20/36

  ’HistoryoftheWorld’chapter45。),KingPyrrhushadanespeciallyvaluablebreedofoxen:andhedidnotsufferthebullsandcowstocometogethertillfouryearsold,thatthebreedmightnotdegenerate。Virgil,inhisGeorgics(lib。3),givesasstrongadviceasanymodernagriculturistcoulddo,carefullytoselectthebreedingstock;\"tonotethetribe,thelineage,andthesire;whomtoreserveforhusbandoftheherd;\"——tobrandtheprogeny;——toselectsheepofthepurestwhite,andtoexamineiftheirtonguesareswarthy。

  WehaveseenthattheRomanskeptpedigreesoftheirpigeons,andthiswouldhavebeenasenselessproceedinghadnotgreatcarebeentakeninbreedingthem。Columellagivesdetailedinstructionsaboutbreedingfowls:\"Letthebreedinghensthereforebeofachoicecolour,arobustbody,square—built,full—breasted,withlargeheads,withuprightandbright—redcombs。Thosearebelievedtobethebestbredwhichhavefivetoes。\"(20/37。’Gardener’sChronicle’1848page323。)AccordingtoTacitus,theCeltsattendedtotheracesoftheirdomesticanimals;andCaesarstatesthattheypaidhighpricestomerchantsforfineimportedhorses。(20/38。Reynier’Del’EconomiedesCeltes’1818pages487,503。)Inregardtoplants,Virgilspeaksofyearlycullingthelargestseeds;andCelsussays,\"wherethecornandcropisbutsmall,wemustpickoutthebestearsofcorn,andofthemlayupourseedseparatelybyitself。\"(20/39。LeCouteuron’Wheat’page15。)

  Comingdownthestreamoftime,wemaybebrief。AtaboutthebeginningoftheninthcenturyCharlemagneexpresslyorderedhisofficerstotakegreatcareofhisstallions;andifanyprovedbadorold,toforewarnhimingoodtimebeforetheywereputtothemares。(20/40。Michel’DesHaras’1861page84。)

  EveninacountrysolittlecivilisedasIrelandduringtheninthcentury,itwouldappearfromsomeancientverses(20/41。SirW。Wildean’EssayonUnmanufacturedAnimalRemains’etc。1860page11。),describingaransomdemandedbyCormac,thatanimalsfromparticularplaces,orhavingaparticularcharacter,werevalued。Thusitissaid,——

  TwopigsofthepigsofMacLir,Aramandewebothroundandred,IbroughtwithmefromAengus。

  IbroughtwithmeastallionandamareFromthebeautifulstudofManannan,AbullandawhitecowfromDruimCain。

  Athelstan,in930,receivedrunning—horsesasapresentfromGermany;andheprohibitedtheexportationofEnglishhorses。KingJohnimported\"onehundredchosenstallionsfromFlanders。\"(20/42。Col。HamiltonSmith’Nat。Library’

  volume12Horses,pages135,140。)OnJune16th,1305,thePrinceofWaleswrotetotheArchbishopofCanterbury,beggingfortheloanofanychoicestallion,andpromisingitsreturnattheendoftheseason。(20/43。Michel’DesHaras’page90。)TherearenumerousrecordsatancientperiodsinEnglishhistoryoftheimportationofchoiceanimalsofvariouskinds,andoffoolishlawsagainsttheirexportation。InthereignsofHenryVII。andVIII。itwasorderedthatthemagistrates,atMichaelmas,shouldscourtheheathsandcommons,anddestroyallmaresbeneathacertainsize。(20/44。Mr。Baker’HistoryoftheHorse’’Veterinary’volume13page423。)Someofourearlierkingspassedlawsagainsttheslaughteringramsofanygoodbreedbeforetheyweresevenyearsold,sothattheymighthavetimetobreed。InSpainCardinalXimenesissued,in1509,regulationsontheSELECTIONofgoodramsforbreeding。(20/45。M。l’AbbeCarlierin’JournaldePhysique’volume241784

  page181;thismemoircontainsmuchinformationontheancientselectionofsheep;andismyauthorityforramsnotbeingkilledyounginEngland。)

  TheEmperorAkbarKhanbeforetheyearl600issaidtohave\"wonderfullyimproved\"hispigeonsbycrossingthebreeds;andthisnecessarilyimpliescarefulselection。AboutthesameperiodtheDutchattendedwiththegreatestcaretothebreedingofthesebirds。Belonin1555saysthatgoodmanagersinFranceexaminedthecolouroftheirgoslingsinordertogetgeeseofawhitecolourandbetterkinds。Markhamin1631tellsthebreeder\"toelectthelargestandgoodliestconies,\"andentersintominutedetails。Evenwithrespecttoseedsofplantsfortheflower—garden,SirJ。Hanmerwritingabouttheyear1660(20/46。’Gardener’sChronicle’1843page389。)says,in\"choosingseed,thebestseedisthemostweighty,andishadfromthelustiestandmostvigorousstems;\"andhethengivesrulesaboutleavingonlyafewflowersonplantsforseed;sothatevensuchdetailswereattendedtoinourflower—gardenstwohundredyearsago。Inordertoshowthatselectionhasbeensilentlycarriedoninplaceswhereitwouldnothavebeenexpected,Imayaddthatinthemiddleofthelastcentury,inaremotepartofNorthAmerica,Mr。Cooperimprovedbycarefulselectionallhisvegetables,\"sothattheyweregreatlysuperiortothoseofanyotherperson。Whenhisradishes,forinstance,arefitforuse,hetakestenortwelvethathemostapproves,andplantsthematleast100yardsfromothersthatblossomatthesametime。

  Inthesamemannerhetreatsallhisotherplants,varyingthecircumstancesaccordingtotheirnature。\"(20/47。’CommunicationstoBoardofAgriculture’

  quotedinDr。Darwin’Phytologia’1800page451。)

  InthegreatworkonChinapublishedinthelastcenturybytheJesuits,andwhichischieflycompiledfromancientChineseencyclopaedias,itissaidthatwithsheep\"improvingthebreedconsistsinchoosingwithparticularcarethelambswhicharedestinedforpropagation,innourishingthemwell,andinkeepingtheflocksseparate。\"ThesameprincipleswereappliedbytheChinesetovariousplantsandfruit—trees。(20/48。’MemoiresurlesChinois’1786tome11page55;tome5page507。)Animperialedictrecommendsthechoiceofseedofremarkablesize;andselectionwaspractisedevenbyimperialhands,foritissaidthattheYa—mi,orimperialrice,wasnoticedatanancientperiodinafieldbytheEmperorKhang—hi,wassavedandcultivatedinhisgarden,andhassincebecomevaluablefrombeingtheonlykindwhichwillgrownorthoftheGreatWall。(20/49。’Recherchessurl’AgriculturedesChinois’parL。

  D’HerveySaint—Denys1850page229。WithrespecttoKhang—hiseeHuc’s’ChineseEmpire’page311。)Evenwithflowers,thetreepaeony(P。moutan)hasbeencultivated,accordingtoChinesetraditions,for1400years;between200

  and300varietieshavebeenraised,whicharecherishedliketulipsformerlywerebytheDutch。(20/50。Andersonin’Linn。Transact。’volume12page253。)

  Turningnowtosemi—civilisedpeopleandtosavages:itoccurredtome,fromwhatIhadseenofseveralpartsofSouthAmerica,wherefencesdonotexist,andwheretheanimalsareoflittlevalue,thattherewouldbeabsolutelynocareinbreedingorselectingthem;andthistoalargeextentistrue。Roulin(20/51。’Mem。del’Acad。’(diverssavants),tome61835page333。),however,describesinColumbiaanakedraceofcattle,whicharenotallowedtoincrease,onaccountoftheirdelicateconstitution。AccordingtoAzara(20/52。’DesQuadrupedesduParaguay’1801tome2pages333,371。)horsesareoftenborninParaguaywithcurlyhair;but,asthenativesdonotlikethem,theyaredestroyed。Ontheotherhand,Azarastatesthatahornlessbull,bornin1770,waspreservedandpropagateditsrace。IwasinformedoftheexistenceinBandaOrientalofabreedwithreversedhair;andtheextraordinaryniatacattlefirstappearedandhavesincebeenkeptdistinctinLaPlata。Hencecertainconspicuousvariationshavebeenpreserved,andothershavebeenhabituallydestroyed,inthesecountries,whicharesolittlefavourableforcarefulselection。Wehavealsoseenthattheinhabitantssometimesintroducefreshcattleontheirestatestopreventtheevileffectsofcloseinterbreeding。Ontheotherhand,IhaveheardonreliableauthoritythattheGauchosofthePampasnevertakeanypainsinselectingthebestbullsorstallionsforbreeding;andthisprobablyaccountsforthecattleandhorsesbeingremarkablyuniformincharacterthroughouttheimmenserangeoftheArgentinerepublic。

  LookingtotheOldWorld,intheSaharaDesert\"TheTouaregisascarefulintheselectionofhisbreedingMahari(afineraceofthedromedary)astheArabisinthatofhishorse。Thepedigreesarehandeddown,andmanyadromedarycanboastagenealogyfarlongerthanthedescendantsoftheDarleyArabian。\"(20/53。’TheGreatSahara’bytheRev。H。B。Tristram1860page238。)

  AccordingtoPallastheMongoliansendeavourtobreedtheYaksorhorse—tailedbuffaloeswithwhitetails,forthesearesoldtotheChinesemandarinsasfly—flappers;andMoorcroft,aboutseventyyearsafterPallas,foundthatwhite—tailedanimalswerestillselectedforbreeding。(20/54。Pallas’Act。

  Acad。St。Petersburg’1777page249。MoorcroftandTrebeck’TravelsintheHimalayanProvinces’1841。)

  WehaveseeninthechapterontheDogthatsavagesindifferentpartsofNorthAmericaandinGuianacrosstheirdogswithwildCanidae,asdidtheancientGauls,accordingtoPliny。Thiswasdonetogivetheirdogsstrengthandvigour,inthesamewayasthekeepersinlargewarrensnowsometimescrosstheirferrets(asIhavebeeninformedbyMr。Yarrell)withthewildpolecat,\"togivethemmoredevil。\"AccordingtoVarro,thewildasswasformerlycaughtandcrossedwiththetameanimaltoimprovethebreed,inthesamemannerasatthepresentdaythenativesofJavasometimesdrivetheircattleintotheforeststocrosswiththewildBanteng(Bossondaicus)。

  (20/55。QuotedfromRafflesinthe’IndianField’1859page196:forVarroseePallasutsupra。)InNorthernSiberia,amongtheOstyaks,thedogsvaryinmarkingsindifferentdistricts,butineachplacetheyarespottedblackandwhiteinaremarkablyuniformmanner(20/56。Erman’TravelsinSiberia’

  Englishtranslationvolume1page453。);andfromthisfactalonewemayinfercarefulbreeding,moreespeciallyasthedogsofonelocalityarefamedthroughoutthecountryfortheirsuperiority。IhaveheardofcertaintribesofEsquimauxwhotakeprideintheirteamsofdogsbeinguniformlycoloured。

  InGuiana,asSirH。Schomburgkinformsme(20/57。Seealso’JournalofR。

  Geograph。Soc。’volume13part1page65。),thedogsoftheTurumaIndiansarehighlyvaluedandextensivelybartered:thepriceofagoodoneisthesameasthatgivenforawife:theyarekeptinasortofcage,andtheIndians\"takegreatcarewhenthefemaleisinseasontopreventherunitingwithadogofaninferiordescription。\"TheIndianstoldSirRobertthat,ifadogprovedbadoruseless,hewasnotkilled,butwaslefttodiefromsheerneglect。

  HardlyanynationismorebarbarousthantheFuegians,butIhearfromMr。

  Bridges,theCatechisttotheMission,that,\"whenthesesavageshavealarge,strong,andactivebitch,theytakecaretoputhertoafinedog,andeventakecaretofeedherwell,thatheryoungmaybestrongandwellfavoured。\"

  IntheinteriorofAfrica,negroes,whohavenotassociatedwithwhitemen,showgreatanxietytoimprovetheiranimals;they\"alwayschoosethelargerandstrongermalesforstock;\"theMalakoloweremuchpleasedatLivingstone’spromisetosendthemabull,andsomeBakalolocarriedalivecockallthewayfromLoandaintotheinterior。(20/58。Livingstone’FirstTravels’pages191,439,565;seealso’ExpeditiontotheZambesi’1865page495,forananalogouscaserespectingagoodbreedofgoats。)AtFalabaMr。WinwoodReadenoticedanunusuallyfinehorse,andthenegroKinginformedhimthat\"theownerwasnotedforhisskillinbreedinghorses。\"Furthersouthonthesamecontinent,AnderssonstatesthathehasknownaDamaragivetwofineoxenforadogwhichstruckhisfancy。TheDamarastakegreatdelightinhavingwholedrovesofcattleofthesamecolour,andtheyprizetheiroxeninproportiontothesizeoftheirhorns。\"TheNamaquashaveaperfectmaniaforauniformteam;andalmostallthepeopleofSouthernAfricavaluetheircattlenexttotheirwomen,andtakeaprideinpossessinganimalsthatlookhigh—bred。Theyrarelyornevermakeuseofahandsomeanimalasabeastofburden。\"(20/59。

  Andersson’TravelsinSouthAfrica’pages232,318,319。)Thepowerofdiscriminationwhichthesesavagespossessiswonderful,andtheycanrecognisetowhichtribeanycattlebelong。Mr。Anderssonfurtherinformsmethatthenativesfrequentlymatchaparticularbullwithaparticularcow。

  Themostcuriouscaseofselectionbysemi—civilisedpeople,orindeedbyanypeople,whichIhavefoundrecorded,isthatgivenbyGarcilazodelaVega,adescendantoftheIncas,ashavingbeenpractisedinPerubeforethecountrywassubjugatedbytheSpaniards。(20/60。Dr。Vavasseurin’Bull。deLaSoc。

  d’Acclimat。’tome81861page136。)TheIncasannuallyheldgreathunts,whenallthewildanimalsweredrivenfromanimmensecircuittoacentralpoint。

  Thebeastsofpreywerefirstdestroyedasinjurious。ThewildGuanacosandVicunasweresheared;theoldmalesandfemaleskilled,andtheotherssetatliberty。Thevariouskindsofdeerwereexamined;theoldmalesandfemaleswerelikewisekilled,\"buttheyoungfemales,withacertainnumberofmales,selectedfromthemostbeautifulandstrong,\"weregiventheirfreedom。Here,then,wehaveselectionbymanaidingnaturalselection。SothattheIncasfollowedexactlythereversesystemofthatwhichourScottishsportsmanareaccusedoffollowing,namely,ofsteadilykillingthefineststags,thuscausingthewholeracetodegenerate。(20/61。’TheNaturalHistoryofDeeSide’1855page476。)Inregardtothedomesticatedllamasandalpacas,theywereseparatedinthetimeoftheIncasaccordingtocolour:andifbychanceoneinaflockwasbornofthewrongcolour,itwaseventuallyputintoanotherflock。

  InthegenusAucheniatherearefourforms,——theGuanacoandVicuna,foundwildandundoubtedlydistinctspecies;theLlamaandAlpaca,knownonlyinadomesticatedcondition。Thesefouranimalsappearsodifferent,thatmostnaturalists,especiallythosewhohavestudiedtheseanimalsintheirnativecountry,maintainthattheyarespecificallydistinct,notwithstandingthatnoonepretendstohaveseenawildllamaoralpaca。Mr。Ledger,however,whohascloselystudiedtheseanimalsbothinPeruandduringtheirexportationtoAustralia,andwhohasmademanyexperimentsontheirpropagation,adducesarguments(20/62。’Bull。delaSoc。d’Acclimat。’tome71860page457。)whichseemtomeconclusive,thatthellamaisthedomesticateddescendantoftheguanaco,andthealpacaofthevicuna。Andnowthatweknowthattheseanimalsweresystematicallybredandselectedmanycenturiesago,thereisnothingsurprisinginthegreatamountofchangewhichtheyhaveundergone。

  Itappearedtomeatonetimeprobablethat,thoughancientandsemi—civilisedpeoplemighthaveattendedtotheimprovementoftheirmoreusefulanimalsinessentialpoints,yetthattheywouldhavedisregardedunimportantcharacters。

  Buthumannatureisthesamethroughouttheworld:fashioneverywherereignssupreme,andmanisapttovaluewhateverhemaychancetopossess。WehaveseenthatinSouthAmericatheniatacattle,whichcertainlyarenotmadeusefulbytheirshortenedfacesandupturnednostrils,havebeenpreserved。

  TheDamarasofSouthAfricavaluetheircattleforuniformityofcolourandenormouslylonghorns。AndIwillnowshowthatthereishardlyanypeculiarityinourmostusefulanimalswhich,fromfashion,superstition,orsomeothermotive,hasnotbeenvalued,andconsequentlypreserved。Withrespecttocattle,\"anearlyrecord,\"accordingtoYouatt(20/63。’Cattle’

  page48。)\"speaksofahundredwhitecowswithredearsbeingdemandedasacompensationbytheprincesofNorthandSouthWales。Ifthecattlewereofadarkorblackcolour,150weretobepresented。\"SothatcolourwasattendedtoinWalesbeforeitssubjugationbyEngland。InCentralAfrica,anoxthatbeatsthegroundwithitstailiskilled;andinSouthAfricasomeoftheDamaraswillnoteatthefleshofaspottedox。TheKaffirsvalueananimalwithamusicalvoice;and\"atasaleinBritishKaffrariathelow\"ofaheiferexcitedsomuchadmirationthatasharpcompetitionsprungupforherpossession,andsherealisedaconsiderableprice。\"(20/64。Livingstone’Travels’page576;Andersson’LakeNgami’1856page222。WithrespecttothesaleinKaffrariasee’QuarterlyReview’1860page139。)Withrespecttosheep,theChinesepreferramswithouthorns;theTartarspreferthemwithspirallywoundhorns,becausethehornlessarethoughttolosecourage。

  (20/65。’MemoiresurlesChinois’bytheJesuits1786tome11page57。)SomeoftheDamaraswillnoteatthefleshofhornlesssheep。Inregardtohorses,attheendofthefifteenthcenturyanimalsofthecolourdescribedasliartpommeweremostvaluedinFrance。TheArabshaveaproverb,\"Neverbuyahorsewithfourwhitefeet,forhecarrieshisshroudwithhim\"(20/66。F。Michel’DesHaras’pages47,50。);theArabsalso,aswehaveseen,despisedun—

  colouredhorses。Sowithdogs,Xenophonandothersatanancientperiodwereprejudicedinfavourofcertaincolours;and\"whiteorslate—colouredhuntingdogswerenotesteemed。\"(20/67。Col。HamiltonSmith’Dogs’in’Nat。Lib。’

  volume10page103。)

  Turningtopoultry,theoldRomangourmandsthoughtthattheliverofawhitegoosewasthemostsavoury。InParaguayblack—skinnedfowlsarekeptbecausetheyarethoughttobemoreproductive,andtheirfleshthemostproperforinvalids。(20/68。Azara’QuadrupedesduParaguay’tome2page324。)InGuiana,asIaminformedbySirR。Schomburgk,theaborigineswillnoteatthefleshoreggsofthefowl,buttworacesarekeptdistinctmerelyforornament。InthePhilippines,nolessthanninesub—varietiesofthegame—cockarekeptandnamed,sothattheymustbeseparatelybred。

  AtthepresenttimeinEurope,thesmallestpeculiaritiesarecarefullyattendedtoinourmostusefulanimals,eitherfromfashion,orasamarkofpurityofblood。Manyexamplescouldbegiven;twowillsuffice。\"IntheWesterncountiesofEnglandtheprejudiceagainstawhitepigisnearlyasstrongasagainstablackoneinYorkshire。\"InoneoftheBerkshiresub—

  breeds,itissaid,\"thewhiteshouldbeconfinedtofourwhitefeet,awhitespotbetweentheeyes,andafewwhitehairsbehindeachshoulder。\"Mr。

  Saddlerpossessedthreehundredpigs,everyoneofwhichwasmarkedinthismanner。\"(20/69。Sidney’seditionofYouatt1860pages24,25。)Marshall,towardsthecloseofthelastcentury,inspeakingofachangeinoneoftheYorkshirebreedsofcattle,saysthehornshavebeenconsiderablymodified,as\"aclean,small,sharphornhasbeenFASHIONABLEforthelasttwentyyears。\"

  (20/70。’RuralEconomyofYorkshire’volume2page182。)InapartofGermanythecattleoftheRacedeGfoehlarevaluedformanygoodqualities,buttheymusthavehornsofaparticularcurvatureandtint,somuchsothatmechanicalmeansareappliediftheytakeawrongdirection;buttheinhabitants\"consideritofthehighestimportancethatthenostrilsofthebullshouldbeflesh—coloured,andtheeyelasheslight;thisisanindispensablecondition。A

  calfwithbluenostrilswouldnotbepurchased,orpurchasedataverylowprice。\"(20/71。MolletGayot’DuBoeuf’1860page547。)Thereforeletnomansaythatanypointorcharacteristootriflingtobemethodicallyattendedtoandselectedbybreeders。

  UNCONSCIOUSSELECTION。

  BythistermImean,asalreadymorethanonceexplained,thepreservationbymanofthemostvalued,andthedestructionoftheleastvaluedindividuals,withoutanyconsciousintentiononhispartofalteringthebreed。Itisdifficulttoofferdirectproofsoftheresultswhichfollowfromthiskindofselection;buttheindirectevidenceisabundant。Infact,exceptthatintheonecasemanactsintentionally,andintheotherunintentionally,thereislittledifferencebetweenmethodicalandunconsciousselection。Inbothcasesmanpreservestheanimalswhicharemostusefulorpleasingtohim,anddestroysorneglectstheothers。Butnodoubtafarmorerapidresultfollowsfrommethodicalthanfromunconsciousselection。The\"roguing\"ofplantsbygardeners,andthedestructionbylawinHenryVIII。’sreignofallunder—

  sizedmares,areinstancesofaprocessthereverseofselectionintheordinarysenseoftheword,butleadingtothesamegeneralresult。Theinfluenceofthedestructionofindividualshavingaparticularcharacteriswellshownbythenecessityofkillingeverylambwithatraceofblackaboutit,inordertokeeptheflockwhite;oragain,bytheeffectsontheaverageheightofthemenofFranceofthedestructivewarsofNapoleon,bywhichmanytallmenwerekilled,theshortonesbeinglefttobethefathersoffamilies。

  Thisatleastistheconclusionofsomeofthosewhohavecloselystudiedtheeffectsoftheconscription;anditiscertainthatsinceNapoleon’stimethestandardforthearmyhasbeenloweredtwoorthreetimes。

  Unconsciousselectionblendswithmethodical,sothatitisscarcelypossibletoseparatethem。Whenafancierlongagofirsthappenedtonoticeapigeonwithanunusuallyshortbeak,oronewiththetail—feathersunusuallydeveloped,althoughhebredfromthesebirdswiththedistinctintentionofpropagatingthevariety,yethecouldnothaveintendedtomakeashort—facedtumblerorafantail,andwasfarfromknowingthathehadmadethefirststeptowardsthisend。Ifhecouldhaveseenthefinalresult,hewouldhavebeenstruckwithastonishment,but,fromwhatweknowofthehabitsoffanciers,probablynotwithadmiration。OurEnglishcarriers,barbs,andshort—facedtumblershavebeengreatlymodifiedinthesamemanner,aswemayinferbothfromthehistoricalevidencegiveninthechaptersonthePigeon,andfromthecomparisonofbirdsbroughtfromdistantcountries。

  Soithasbeenwithdogs;ourpresentfox—houndsdifferfromtheoldEnglishhound;ourgreyhoundshavebecomelighter:theScotchdeer—houndhasbeenmodified,andisnowrare。Ourbulldogsdifferfromthosewhichwereformerlyusedforbaitingbulls。OurpointersandNewfoundlandsdonotcloselyresembleanynativedognowfoundinthecountrieswhencetheywerebrought。Thesechangeshavebeeneffectedpartlybycrosses;butineverycasetheresulthasbeengovernedbythestrictestselection。Nevertheless,thereisnoreasontosupposethatmanintentionallyandmethodicallymadethebreedsexactlywhattheynoware。Asourhorsesbecamefleeter,andthecountrymorecultivatedandsmoother,fleeterfox—houndsweredesiredandproduced,butprobablywithoutanyonedistinctlyforeseeingwhattheywouldbecome。Ourpointersandsetters,thelatteralmostcertainlydescendedfromlargespaniels,havebeengreatlymodifiedinaccordancewithfashionandthedesireforincreasedspeed。Wolveshavebecomeextinct,andsohasthewolf—dog;deerhavebecomerarer,bullsarenolongerbaited,andthecorrespondingbreedsofthedoghaveansweredtothechange。Butwemayfeelalmostsurethatwhen,forinstance,bullswerenolongerbaited,nomansaidtohimself,Iwillnowbreedmydogsofsmallersize,andthuscreatethepresentrace。Ascircumstanceschanged,menunconsciouslyandslowlymodifiedtheircourseofselection。

  Withracehorsesselectionforswiftnesshasbeenfollowedmethodically,andourhorsesnoweasilysurpasstheirprogenitors。TheincreasedsizeanddifferentappearanceoftheEnglishracehorseledagoodobserverinIndiatoask,\"Couldanyoneinthisyearof1856,lookingatourracehorses,conceivethattheyweretheresultoftheunionoftheArabhorseandtheAfricanmare?\"(20/72。’TheIndiaSportingReview’volume2page181;’TheStudFarm’

  byCecilpage58。)Thischangehas,itisprobable,beenlargelyeffectedthroughunconsciousselection,thatis,bythegeneralwishtobreedasfinehorsesaspossibleineachgeneration,combinedwithtrainingandhighfeeding,butwithoutanyintentiontogivetothemtheirpresentappearance。

  AccordingtoYouatt(20/73。’TheHorse’page22。),theintroductioninOliverCromwell’stimeofthreecelebratedEasternstallionsspeedilyaffectedtheEnglishbreed;\"sothatLordHarleigh,oneoftheoldschool,complainedthatthegreathorsewasfastdisappearing。\"Thisisanexcellentproofhowcarefullyselectionmusthavebeenattendedto;forwithoutsuchcare,alltracesofsosmallaninfusionofEasternbloodwouldsoonhavebeenabsorbedandlost。NotwithstandingthattheclimateofEnglandhasneverbeenesteemedparticularlyfavourabletothehorse,yetlong—continuedselection,bothmethodicalandunconscious,togetherwiththatpractisedbytheArabsduringastilllongerandearlierperiod,hasendedingivingusthebestbreedofhorsesintheworld。Macaulay(20/74。’HistoryofEngland’volume1page316。)

  remarks,\"Twomenwhoseauthorityonsuchsubjectswasheldingreatesteem,theDukeofNewcastleandSirJohnFenwick,pronouncedthatthemeanesthackeverimportedfromTangierwouldproduceafinerprogenythancouldbeexpectedfromthebestsireofournativebreed。TheywouldnotreadilyhavebelievedthatatimewouldcomewhentheprincesandnoblesofneighbouringlandswouldbeaseagertoobtainhorsesfromEnglandasevertheEnglishhadbeentoobtainhorsesfromBarbary。\"

  TheLondondray—horse,whichdifferssomuchinappearancefromanynaturalspecies,andwhichfromitssizehassoastonishedmanyEasternprinces,wasprobablyformedbytheheaviestandmostpowerfulanimalshavingbeenselectedduringmanygenerationsinFlandersandEngland,butwithouttheleastintentionorexpectationofcreatingahorsesuchaswenowsee。Ifwegobacktoanearlyperiodofhistory,webeholdintheantiqueGreekstatues,asSchaaffhausenhasremarked(20/75。’UeberBestandigkeitderArten。’),ahorseequallyunlikearaceordrayhorse,anddifferingfromanyexistingbreed。

  Theresultsofunconsciousselection,inanearlystage,arewellshowninthedifferencebetweentheflocksdescendedfromthesamestock,butseparatelyrearedbycarefulbreeders。YouattgivesanexcellentinstanceofthisfactinthesheepbelongingtoMessrs。BuckleyandBurgess,which\"havebeenpurelybredfromtheoriginalstockofMr。Bakewellforupwardsoffiftyyears。ThereisnotasuspicionexistinginthemindofanyoneatallacquaintedwiththesubjectthattheownerofeitherflockhasdeviatedinanyoneinstancefromthepurebloodofMr。Bakewell’sflock;yetthedifferencebetweenthesheeppossessedbythesetwogentlemenissogreat,thattheyhavetheappearanceofbeingquitedifferentvarieties。\"(20/76。’YouattonSheep’page315。)Ihaveseenseveralanalogousandwellmarkedcaseswithpigeons:forinstance,IhadafamilyofbarbsdescendedfromthoselongbredbySirJ。Sebright,andanotherfamilylongbredbyanotherfancier,andthetwofamiliesplainlydifferedfromeachother。Nathusius——andamorecompetentwitnesscouldnotbecited——observesthat,thoughtheShorthornsareremarkablyuniforminappearance(exceptincolour),yettheindividualcharacterandwishesofeachbreederbecomeimpressedonhiscattle,sothatdifferentherdsdifferslightlyfromoneanother。(20/77。’UeberShorthornRindvieh’1857s。51。)TheHerefordcattleassumedtheirpresentwell—markedcharactersoonaftertheyear1769,throughcarefulselectionbyMr。Tomkins(20/78。Low’DomesticatedAnimals’1845page363。)andthebreedhaslatelysplitintotwostrains——onestrainhavingawhiteface,anddifferingslightly,itissaid(20/79。

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