124 



DOMESTIC RABBITS: 



Chap. IV. 



the outer side. The whole meatus is directed more forwards. 

 As in breeding lop-eared rabbits the length of the ears, and 

 their consequent lopping and lying flat on the face, are the 

 chief points of excellence, there can hardly be a doubt that the 



great change in the size, 

 form, and direction of the 

 bony meatus, relatively to 

 this same part in the wild 

 rabbit, is due to the con- 

 tinued selection of indi- 

 viduals having larger and 

 larger ears. The influence 

 of the external ear on the 

 bony meatus is well shown 

 in the skulls (I have ex- 

 amined three) of half-lops 

 (see fig. 5), in which one ear 

 stands upright, and the other 

 and longer ear hangs down; 

 for in these skulls there was 

 a plain difference in the 

 form and direction of the 

 bony meatus on the two 

 sides. But it is a much 

 more interesting fact, that 

 the changed direction and 

 increased size of the bony 

 meatus have slightly affected 

 on the same side the struc- 

 ture of the whole skull. I 

 here give a drawing (fig. 11) 

 of the skull of a half-lop ; and 

 it may be observed that the 

 suture between the parietal 

 and frontal bones does not 

 run strictly at right angles 

 to the longitudinal axis of 

 the skull; the left frontal 

 bone projects beyond the 

 right one ; both the posterior 



Fig. 11.— Skull, of natural size, of Half-lop Rabbit, j ontprinr rmrcnnR of thp 



showing the different direction of the auditory f " a anterior margins OI llie 



meatus on th^ two sides, and the consequent left Zygomatic arch On the 



general; distortion of the skull The left ear of g^e f the lopping ear stand 

 the animal (or right side of figure) lopped ■..,,, . i r .i 



forwards. a little m advance of the 



corresponding bones on the 

 opposite side. Even the lower jaw is affected, and the condyles are 

 not quite symmetrical, that on the left standing a little in advance 

 of that on the right. This seems to me a remarkable case of 

 correlation of growth. Who would have surmised that by keeping 



