ow to semi-civilised people and to savages: it occurred to me,
from what I had seen of several parts of South America, where fences do not
exist, and where the animals are of little value, that there would be
absolutely no care in breeding or selecting them; and this to a large
extent is true. Roulin,[492] however, describes in Colombia a naked race of
cattle, which are not allowed to increase, on account of their delicate
constitution. According to Azara[493] horses are often born in Paraguay
with curly hair; but, as the natives do not like them, they are destroyed.
On the other hand, Azara states that a hornless bull, born in 1770, was
preserved and propagated its race. I was informed of the existence in Banda
Oriental of a breed with reversed hair; and the extraordinary niata cattle
first appeared and have since been kept distinct in La Plata. Hence certain
conspicuous variations have been preserved, and others have been habitually
destroyed, in these countries, which are so little favourable for careful
selection. We have also seen that the inhabitants sometimes introduce
cattle on their estates to prevent the evil effects of close interbreeding.
On the other hand, I have heard on reliable authority that the Gauchos of
the Pampas never take any pains in selecting the best bulls or stallions
for breeding; and this probably accounts for the cattle and horses being
remarkably uniform in character throughout the immense range of the
Argentine republic.

Looking to the Old World, in the Sahara Desert "The Touareg is as careful
in the selection of his breeding Mahari {206} (a fine race of the
dromedary) as the Arab is in that of his horse. The pedigrees are handed
down, and many a dromedary can boast a genealogy far longer than the
descendants of the Darley Arabian."[494] According to Pallas the Mongolians
endeavour to breed the Yaks or horse-tailed buffaloes with white tails, for
these are sold to the Chinese mandarins as fly-flappers; and Moorcroft,
about seventy years after Pallas, found that white-tailed animals were
still selected for breeding.[495]

We have seen in the chapter on the Dog that savages in different parts of
North America and in Guiana cross their dogs with wild Canidae, as did the
ancient Gauls, according to Pliny. This was done to give their dogs
strength and vigour, in the same way as the keepers in large warrens now
sometimes cross their ferrets (as I have been informed by Mr. Yarrell) with
the wil