ns. Some of these
facts do not show actual selection, but they show that the breeding of
domestic animals was carefully attended to in ancient times, and is now
attended to by the lowest savages. It would, indeed, have been a strange
fact, had attention not been paid to breeding, for the inheritance of
good and bad qualities is so obvious.

At the present time, eminent breeders try by methodical selection, with
a distinct object in view, to make a new strain or sub-breed, superior
to anything existing in the country. But, for our purpose, a kind of
Selection, which may be called Unconscious, and which results from every
one trying to possess and breed from the best individual animals, is
more important. Thus, a man who intends keeping pointers naturally tries
to get as good dogs as he can, and afterwards breeds from his own best
dogs, but he has no wish or expectation of permanently altering the
breed. Nevertheless I cannot doubt that this process, continued during
centuries, would improve and modify any breed, in the same way as
Bakewell, Collins, etc., by this very same process, 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 altered from it. It is known that
the English pointer has been 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 concerns us is, that the change
has been effected unconsciously and gradually, and yet so effectually,
that, though the old Spanish pointer certainly came from Spain, Mr.
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 fleet