II THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 39 



enforced by Nature upon the newly-arrived ram ; 

 and they advised Wright to kill the old patriarch 

 of his fold, and install the Ancon ram in his place. 

 The result justified their sagacious anticipations, 

 and coincided very nearly with what occurred to 

 the progeny of Gratio Kelleia. The young lambs 

 were almost always either pure Ancons, or pure 

 ordinary sheep. 1 But when sufficient Ancon 

 sheep were obtained to interbreed with one 

 another, it was found that the offspring was 

 always pure Ancon. Colonel Humphreys, in fact, 

 states that he was acquainted with only " one 

 questionable case of a contrary nature." Here, 

 then, is a remarkable and well-established 

 instance, not only of a very distinct race being 

 established per saltum, but of that race breeding 

 " true " at once, and showing no mixed forms, 

 even when crossed with another breed. 



By taking care to select Ancons of both sexes, 

 for breeding from, it thus became easy to establish 

 an extremely well-marked race ; so peculiar that, 



1 Colonel Humphreys' statements are exceedingly explicit on 

 this point : " When an Ancon ewe is impregnated by a com- 

 mon ram, the increase resembles wholly either the ewe or the 

 ram. The increase of the common ewe impregnated by an 

 Ancon ram follows entirely the one or the other, without 

 blending any of the distinguishing and essential peculiarities 

 of both. Frequent instances have happened where common 

 ewes have had twins by Ancon rams, when one exhibited the 

 complete marks and features of the ewe, the other of the ram. 

 The contrast has been rendered singularly striking, when one 

 short-legged and one long-legged lamb, produced at a birth, 

 have been seen sucking the dam at the same time." Philoso- 

 phical Transactions , 1813, Pt. I. pp. 89, 90. 

 32 



