Reproduction

"In every kind of quadruped it is a male of fine appearance which is the object of our careful choice, because the offspring is more often like its sire than its dam."

— Columella, Rei Rusticae

Beasts in the wild naturally reproduce, following God's commandment to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22), but those in captivity are less happy to capitulate. Animals that have long been domesticated more readily reproduce in captivity, but those new to it actively resist producing young. Herders and animal handlers have learned several methods to induce reproduction, and many of these work on newly acquired magical creatures. Hermetic magic is helpful, but not a guarantee.

Breeding is the act of pairing animals in captivity to producing offspring. Animal breeding was studied by a handful of Greek and Roman authors, whose insights allowed the Roman Empire to produce quality livestock. Most of that knowledge has been lost in the 13th century. That which exists is applied only to dogs and horses, seemingly the only animals that matter to the wealthy nobility. The majority of domesticated livestock — cows, sheep, and pigs — are not subjected to supervised breeding programs.

The biology of animal breeding is

somewhat understood, and is similar to the way that a man and a woman reproduce. Both male and female have semen, and this semen must be released and combined for reproduction to occur. The exact method that a female uses to release semen is a mystery, but breeders know that it is released from some interior organ to another chamber, the uterus, where her semen mixes with the male semen. Other factors contribute to conception, for not every mating guarantees offspring, but breeders are at a loss to explain why coupling sometimes fails. Like in humans, breeders speculate that temperature, temperament, and other factors contribute to successful reproduction.

Animals that aren't considered "prime stock" are allowed to breed however it is convenient. Generally a cow herder doesn't care how or when the cattle mates, as long as it is not inconvenient to his overall enterprise. He keeps them together in a herd and lets nature take its course. Breeders use selective breeding and crossbreeding in animals with more valuable characteristics. A maga interested in magical animal breeding would use available breeding practices in the animals that interest her. It is perfectly understandable for a maga to use selective breeding in her magical hares, even though no one else would ever think of paying that much attention to the mating of such lowly animals.

Some animals don't breed but reproduce through simpler generation, as explained in Art & Academe, page 30. Such animals are called worms, from the Latin