4 INHEKITANCE. Chap. XIII. 



the reversion of crossed breeds, and likewise on the subject of 

 prepotency) that the Eev. W. D. Fox was informed that seven 

 white Southdown ewes were put to a so-called Spanish ram, 

 which had two small black spots on his sides, and they pro- 

 duced thirteen lambs, all perfectly black. Mr. Fox believes 

 that this ram belonged to a breed which he has himself kept, 

 and which is always spotted with black and white ; and he 

 finds that Leicester sheep crossed by rams of this breed always 

 produce black lambs : he has gone on recrossing these crossed 

 sheep with pure white Leicesters during three successive 

 generations, but always with the same result. ]\Ir. Fox was 

 also told by the friend from whom the sjDotted breed was 

 procured, that he likewise had gone on for six or seven gene- 

 rations crossing with white sheep, but still black lambs were 

 invariably produced. 



Similar facts could be given with respect to tailless breeeds 

 of various animals. For instance, Mr. Hewitt ^ states that 

 chickens bred from some rumpless fowls, which were reckoned 

 so good that they won a prize at an exhibition, " in a consider- 

 able number of instances were furnished with fully developed 

 tail-feathers." On inquiry, the original breeder of these fowls 

 stated that, from the time when he had first kept them, they 

 had often produced fowls furnished with tails ; but that these 

 latter would again reproduce rumpless chickens. 



Analogous cases of reversion occur in the vegetable king- 

 dom ; thus " from seeds gathered from the finest cultivated 

 varieties of Heartsease (^Viola tricolor), plants perfectly wild 

 both in their foliage and their flowers are frequently pro- 

 duced ;" "^ but the reversion in this instance is not to a very 

 ancient period, for the best existing varieties of the heartsease 

 are of comparatively modern origin. With most of our cul- 

 tivated vegetables there is some tendency to reversion to 

 what is known to be, or may be presumed to be, their abori- 

 ginal state ; and this would be more evident if gardeners did 

 not generally look over their beds of seedlings, and pull up 



® ' The Poultry Book,' by Mr. much experience on this subject, has 



Tegetmeier, 1866, p. 231. likewise assured me that this some- 



^ Loudon's ' Gard. Mag.,' vol. x., times occurs. 

 1834, p. 396 : a nurseryman, with 



