shing a breed depended, therefore, in the first
place on the natural variability of wild animals and plants, then on the
variations induced in animals and plants under subjection to the new
conditions brought about by man's interference, next on the extent to
which these variations, natural or artificial, persisted through the
series of generations, and finally on man's intelligence in altering or
maintaining the conditions of the environment, and in selective mating.
The theory of breeds and breeding depends, in fact, on knowledge of
variation, of modification by the environment, and of heredity. Any
attempt to give an account of what actually has been done by man in
establishing breeds would be little more than an imperfect summary of
Darwin's work. The articles HEREDITY, MENDELISM and VARIATION AND
SELECTION show that what may be called the theoretical and experimental
knowledge of variation and heredity is far in advance of the practical
art of breeding. Even horticulturists, who have been much more
successful than those who deal with animals, are still far from being
able to predict the result of their selections and crossings. None the
less it may be stated definitely that such prediction is already so
nearly within the power of the practical breeder that it would be a
waste of time to give a summary of the existing rule-of-thumb methods.
The art of breeding is so immediately destined to become a science of
breeding that existing knowledge and conceptions must be dismissed as of
no more than historical interest. (P. C. M.)

BREEZE, (1) A current of air generally taken as somewhat less than a
"wind," which in turn is less than a "gale." The term is particularly
applied to the light wind blowing landwards by day, "sea-breeze," and
the counter wind, blowing off the land at night, "land-breeze." The word
appears in Fr. _brise_ (admitted by the Academy in 1762). The Span,
_brisa_, Port. _briza_, and Ital. _brezza_ are used for a wind blowing
from the north or north-east. According to Cotgrave, Rabelais uses
_brize_ in the sense of _bise_, the name of a dry north or north-east
wind prevalent in Switzerland and the bordering parts of France, Italy
and Germany. The word is first used in English as applied to the cool
sea-breeze blowing usually from the east or north-east in the West
Indies and Atlantic sea-coast of Central America. It was then applied to
sea-breezes from any quarter, and also to the land-breeze,