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Show 272 SEXUAL SELECTION : MAMMAL<:;. PART II. a great breeder of dogs, informs me that be bas known some instances ; be cites the case of one of his own deer-bounds, who wonld not take any notice of a particular female mastiff, so that another deer-hound had to be employed. It would be superfluous to give other cases, and I will only add that Mr. Barr, who bas rarefully bred many blood-hounds, stntes that in almost every instance particular individuals of the oppositesex shew a decided preference for each other. l!...,inally Mr. Cupples, after attending to this subject for another year, has recently written to me, "I have had full con" firmation of my former statement, that dogs in breed" ing form decided preferences for each other, being" often influenced by size, bright eolour, and individua~ " character, as well as by the degree of their previous "familiarity." In regard to horses, Mr. Blcn1dron, the greatest breeder of race-horses in the world, informs me that stallions are so frequently capricious in their choice, rejecting one mare and without any apparent cause ta},ing to another, that various artifices have to be habitually used. 'rhe famous Monarque, for instance, would never consciously look at the dam of Gladiateur, and a trick had to be practised. vVe can partly see tho reason why valuable race-horse stallions, which are in such demand, should be so particular in their choice. Mr. Blenkiron has never known a mare to reject a horse; but this has occurred in Mr. vVright's staule, so that the mare had to be cheated. Prosper Lucas 43 quotes various st11tcments from J:trench authorities, and remarks, " On voit des 6ta1ons qui s'eprennent d'une "jumeut, et negligent toutes les autres." He gives, on the authority of Buelen, similar facts in regard to bulls. 43 'Tmi!c do l'Ilered. Nat.' tom. ii. 1850, p. 2%. (' !lAP. X VII. PREFERENCES IN rA.IRING, 273 LIlao ffberg, in describing the domesticated . d I d " . rem eer of p an ' says, Foomma majores et fortiOl' "prm cwteris aclmittunt, ad eos confurriunt es. m~re.s H bus agt· ta t w, qm· h os m. fugam conjiciunb t , a JUmon" 44 A. l man, who has bred man i()' . c orgy-often reject one boar and ~mp b~. a;s~res me that sows From these fac~s there c~: ~:en~ :~ccpt anothe:. most of our domesticated qual d oubt .th~t .with antipathies 11nd preferences ~~~eu~~e s :!~~~g mrdt~?ual ;mel much more commonly by the £ q l y exhibited, male. This bcin()' the case 't . . ema e than by the unions of quadru;eds in a 's~at:s l;nprob~ble that the left to mere chance It . l o nature should be • IS muc 1 more . b bl h the females are allured or e 't d P.IO a e t at who possess certain ella t XCI. e by. partiCular mn,les, rae ers m a hiO'h d other males. but what th h b er egree than 1 . 1 ' ese c aracters are . se uom or never discover with certainty. ' "e can H 'Amronitn.tes Acn.d.' vol. iv. 1788' p. lGG . VOL. II. |