non-observance of which will inevitably lead to shipwreck.  Better by far turn one’s energies in attempting to square the circle, or produce a strain of frogs covered with feathers, than attempt to raise Boston terriers without due attention being given to those physiological laws which experience has proven correct.  The first law is that “Like produces like,” although, as previously stated in the case of this breed, more than in any other known to the writer, many exceptions present themselves, even when the utmost care has been exercised, still the maxim holds good in the main.  The second law is that of Heredity, too often paid inadequate attention to, but which demands constant and unremitting apprehension, as it modifies the first law in many ways.  It may be briefly described as the biological law by which the general characteristics of living creatures are repeated in their descendants.  Practically every one has noticed its workings in the human family, how many children bear a stronger resemblance to their grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc., than to their parents, and in the lower order of animals, and it seems to me in the Bostons especially, this tendency to atavism, or throwing back to some ancestor, in many cases quite remote, is very pronounced, hence the necessity of a good general knowledge of the pedigree and family history of the dogs the breeder selects for his foundation stock.  A kennel cannot be built in a day; it takes time, money, perseverance, and a strict attention to detail to insure success.

“Breed to the best,” is a golden rule, but this applies not only to the animals themselves, but also in a far greater measure to the good general qualities possessed by their ancestry.  Far more pregnant with good results would be the mating of two good all-round specimens, lacking to a considerable extent show points, but the products of two families known for their general excellence for several generations, than the offspring would be of two noted prize winners of uncertain ancestry, neither of which possessed the inherent quality of being able to reproduce themselves.  It will be noted that very few first prize winners had prize winning sires and dams.  The noted stud dogs of the past, “Buster,” “Sullivan’s Punch,” “Cracksman,” “Hickey’s Teddy IV.” and many others were not in themselves noted winners, and the same statement may be made of the dams of many of the prize winning dogs, but they possessed in themselves and their ancestry that “hall mark” of quality which appeared in a pronounced form in their offspring.  Experience has shown that first class qualities must exist for several generations in order to render their perpetuation highly probable.  The converse of this is equally true, that any bad qualities bred for the same length of time are quite as hard to eliminate.  If the dog or bitch possesses weak points, be sure to breed to dogs coming from families that are noted for their corresponding strong points.  In this case the