Chap. IV. THE HIMALAYAN BREED. 113 



albinoes. I have received several accounts of their breeding 

 perfectly true. From their symmetrical marks, they were 

 at first ranked as specifically distinct, and were provisionally 

 named L. nigripes. l4: Some good observers thought that they 

 could detect a difference in their habits, and stuutly maintained 

 that they formed a new species. The origin of this breed is 

 so curious, both in itself and as throwing some light on the 

 complex laws of inheritance that it is worth giving in detail. 

 But it is first necessary briefly to describe two other breeds : 

 silver-greys or silver-sprigs generally have black heads and 

 legs, and their fine grey fur is interspersed with numerous 

 black and white long hairs. They breed perfectly true, and 

 have long been kept in warrens. When they escape and 

 cross with common rabbits, the product, as I hear from Mr. 

 Wyrley Birch, of Wretham Hall, is not a mixture of the two 

 colours, but about half take after the one parent, and the 

 other half after the other parent. Secondly, chinchillas or 

 tame silver-greys (I will use the former name) have short, 

 paler, mouse or slate-coloured fur, interspersed with long, 

 blackish, slate-coloured, and white hairs. 15 These rabbits 

 breed perfectly true. A writer stated in 1857 16 that he had 

 produced Himalayan rabbits in the following manner. He 

 had a breed of chinchillas which had been crossed with the 

 common black rabbit, and their offspring were either blacks 

 or chinchillas. These latter were again crossed with other 

 chinchillas (Avhich h^d also been crossed with silver-greys), 

 and from this complicated cross Himalayan rabbits were 

 raised. From these and other similar statements, Mr. 

 Bartlett 17 was led to make a careful trial in the Zoological 

 Gardens, and he found that by simply crossing silver-greys 

 with chinchillas he could always produce some few Hima- 

 layans ; and the latter, notwithstanding their sudden origin, 

 if kept separate, bred perfectly true. But I have recently 

 been assured the pure silver-greys of any sub-breed occasion 

 ally produce Himalayans. 



14 < Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' June 23rd., ,6 l Cottage Gardener,' 1857, p. 141 

 1857, p. 159. 17 Mr. Bartlett, in ' Proc. Zoolog 



15 'Journal of Horticulture,' April Soc' 1861, p. 40. 

 9th, 1861, p. 35. 



