year, and experienced breeders generally refuse to have anything to do with either dog or bitch for this particular purpose, unless they can trace the pedigree to ancestors belonging to parties who were known to be themselves careful in their selections. In most cases this is all that is attempted, especially in pointers, setters, spaniels, &c., but in greyhounds and foxhounds of first-class blood the genealogy may generally be traced through half a dozen kennels of known and established reputation; and this same attention to breed ought to prevail in all the varieties of the dog whose performances are of importance, and indeed without it the reproduction of a particular shape and make cannot with anything like certainty be depended on. Hence the breeders of valuable toy dogs, such as King Charles spaniels, Italian greyhounds, &c., are as careful as they need be, having found out by experience that without this attention they are constantly disappointed.

CROSSING AND CROSSED BREEDS.

Crossing is practised with two distinct objects in view :-1st, To prevent degeneration in consequence of keeping to the same blood, or what is called "in-and-in" breeding; and 2ndly, With the view of improving particular breeds when they are deficient in any desirable quality, by crossing with others which have it in perfection, or often in excess. The first of these will be better N

understood after alluding to the practice of "in-and-in" breeding, but the second may now be considered with advantage.

Among dogs, as among horses, certain varieties are remarkable for particular qualities, and as the latter are more numerous in the species Canis familiaris than in the horse, so there is a greater opportunity for alteration. Thus in the horse there are speed, stoutness, courage, temper, and shape (which includes action) to be considered; but in the dog there are also, over and above these, nose and sagacity, the presence or absence of which in some breeds is of the greatest importance. Now it happens that there are certain old strains which have some of these qualities developed in a very high degree, but are deficient in others, and therefore they are only adapted to those breeds in which the qualities they are deficient in are in excess. It is by a knowledge of these properties, and by taking advantage of them, that our modern breeds have been brought to the perfection at which they have arrived; carefully combining the plan with the principle of selection, which is the great secret in all kinds of breeding. In this way the foxhound has been produced by introducing the speed of the greyhound, and in like manner the courage of the bulldog has been added to the speed of the greyhound, to establish the present high form of that animal. So also the terrier, though ardent enough in pursuit of vermin, is too great a coward to bear their bites without flinching unless he is crossed with the bulldog; and hence the bull-terrier is the most useful dog for that purpose. Although many breeds of terrier so crossed are not admitted to contain the bull strain, still it is notorious that a

vast proportion, if not all, have been crossed in this way some generations back, and I firmly believe that without this blood in their veins they are utterly useless.

It might naturally be supposed by any person who has not been convinced to the contrary, that it would take several crosses to get rid of the heavy form of the bull-dog when united with the light and graceful shape of the greyhound. But on actually trying the experiment it will readily be seen that in the third generation very little trace remains of the bull-dog, while in the fourth there is none whatever apparent in external form. My friend the late Mr. Hanley, of the 2nd Life Guards, was the last who tried the experiment, and having kept a daguerreotype of every individual used in it, which he kindly placed at my service, I have been enabled to present to my readers perfectly trustworthy proofs of the correctness of this assertion. The bulldog "Chicken" used was a very high-bred animal, and of him also Mr. Hanley has preserved a daguerreotype, but as his blood is very similar to that of Mr. Stockdale's "Top" (see p. 133), I have not thought it necessary to engrave him. The bitch "Fly," put to "Chicken,” was also highly bred; but the most satisfactory proceeding will be to insert the whole pedigree at length, as shown on next page.

That the illustrative engravings are literal copies of the abovementioned daguerreotypes is a fact which should be plainly stated; in the first place, because, without a knowledge of it, the strangely uncouth forms of the first two would hardly be accepted; and in the second, to account for the attitudes in which the whole four are represented.

From "Chicken" and "Fly" came the following thick and clumsy-looking animal, which was named "Half-and-Half," being the first cross.

The next step was to put this "Half-and-Half" to a well-bred dog belonging to Mr. Hanley, called "Blunder," whose descent is shown in the extended pedigree. From these came the second cross, "Hecate," a white bitch still presenting some slight charac

* From a daguerreotype in the possession of Hugh Hanley, Esq., 1st Life Guards.