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Show CHAP. I. METHODICAL SELECTION. 34 . h h. tory choice animals were barbarous periods of Enghs IS passed to prevent their d d laws were rt . often importe 'an t' f horses under a ce ain exportation: the destruct~n ~ay be compared to the size was ordered, and s men The principle of "rogui.n g " of p1 a ~t s . by nursievreyn in .a n anc.i ent ChI' nese selection I find disti~~tly gl e laid down by some of · E hcit ru es ar . . encyclopredia. . xp iters From passages In Genesis, the Roman classical wr of .domestic animals was at that it is clear. that the colour Savages now sometimes cross early penod attended to. . ru'mals to improve the · h wild canme a ' their dogs Wit . d. d so as is attested by passages breed, and they formerly ~ s' th Africa match their in Pliny. The savages In d ou orne of the Esquimaux draught cattle by colou:,. as to s shows how much good . f d LIVIngs one . therr teams o ogs. 1 d b the negroes of the In-domestic breeds are va ue y . ted with Europeans. f . h have not assoma b terior of A rwa w 0 t h w actual selection, ut Some of these facts do n~ s of domestic animals was they show that the bree g ~ t trm' es and is now carefully atten de d t o in ancien It w' ould, I.n dee d' attended to by the lowes~a~::fe~tion not been pa~d t.o have been a stra~ge f~ct, f d and bad qualities IS br ee ding , for the inhentance o goo so obvious. . . ent breeders try by me- At the present tiiDe, e~n~ b' t 'n VI. ew to make thodical selecti·o n, WI' th a distmct. o ~te c aIn ything' existi.n g a new strain or sub-breed, superior o k. nd of Selec-in the country. But, for our pur~ose, :a ~hichresults tion, which may be. called Unco::~~u~;:ed from the best from every one trying to poss~s t t Thus a man individual ani·m a1 s , I·S m? re 1mpotr anl l.y tries t'o get as who intends k eepi· ng p ointers nad u rba eeds from his own good dogs as he can, and afte:war o: e~ ectation of per-best dogs, but ~e has no wish N eve!theless I cannot manently altenng the breed. CHAP. I. UNCONSCIOUS SELECTION. 35 doubt that this process, continued during centurie , would improve and modify any breed, in the same way as Bakewell, Collins, &c., by this very same proces , only carried on more methodically, did greatly modify, even during their own lifetimes, the forms and qualities of their cattle. Slow and insensible changes of this kind could never be recognised unless actual measurements or careful drawings of the breeds in question had been made long ago, which might serve for comparison. In some cases, however, unchanged or but little changed individuals of the same breed may be found in less civilised districts, where the breed has been less improved. There is reason to believe that King Charles's spaniel has been unconsciously modified to a large extent since the time of that monarch. Some highly competent authorities are convinced that the setter is directly derived from the spaniel, and has probably been slowly alter d from it. It is known that the English pointer has b en greatly changed within the last century, and in this case the change has, it is believed, been chiefly effected by crosses with the fox-hound; but what concern us is, that the change has been effected unconsciously and grad~ally, ~nd yet so. effectually, that, though the old Spamsh pointer certainly came from Spain, l\Ir. Borrow has not seen, as I am informed by him, any native dog in Spain like our pointer. . By a similar process of selection, and by careful trainIng, the whole body of English racehorses have come to surpass in fleetness and size the parent .Arab stock, 0 that the latter, by the regulations for the Good wood Races are favoured in the weights they carry. Lord Spenc ; ~nd other~ hav~ shown how the cattle of England have Increased m weight and in early maturity, compared with the stock forme~ly k~pt in thi~ country. By comparing the accounts grven m old p1geon treatises of carriers |