Hybridisation of Animals. 615 



" He did not always exist here, and there is no reason to 

 suppose that he always will." 



He has before asserted that man did not always exist here ; 

 but the observation that " there is no reason to suppose that 

 he always will," is a tame truism, for every body is aware 

 that there is no reason to suppose he will ; but there is as 

 much reason (speaking apart from Scripture) to suppose so, 

 as to suppose that he will not. Does Mr. Blyth see any 

 reason to suppose that any other animal will always exist 

 here ? 



" All conduces rather to intimate that he is but a sojourner 

 for a short time." 



Man, individually, is certainly, like every other creature, 

 only a sojourner for a short time ; but we see nothing inti- 

 mating that the whole race of mankind is but sojourning a 

 short time. His daily multiplication, and his extension oyer 

 almost the whole world, would predicate, if any thing, the long 

 future continuance of his race. 



M In his vauity, he is apt to imagine that all were made for 

 him, and presumptuously enquires of what use could have 

 been the creation without him ! Yet how ardently does he 

 labour to exterminate every portion of that creation which he 

 deems to be in the least injurious to his own interests !" 



Here end Mr. Blyth's remarks. When I commenced 

 reading them, I anticipated something philosophical, knowing 

 that I had been often amused and instructed in the perusal of 

 his natural histories of birds. That I was disappointed is 

 sufficiently shown by the above comments, which I deemed it 

 a kind of duty to write in refutation of his remarks. The 

 subject, in my humble opinion, requires a closer reflection, 

 and a stricter examination of facts, than he has devoted to it. 

 — J. H. FennelL Sept. 20. 1836. 



Do Animals hybridise by Choice, or without Compulsion P — 

 In a note at p. 511., Mr. Blyth says that, " in every known in- 

 stance^ intermixture of species is solely induced by man's agency" 



It appears that sometimes irregular unions between animals 

 of distinct species take place voluntarily and by preference. 

 Has Mr. Blyth forgotten that in the Field Naturalist's Maga- 

 zine^ vol. i. p. 279., he himself stated that he was informed, 

 by " a very intelligent and accurate observer," that, " in some 

 parts of the north of Scotland, nothing is more common than 

 to see the hooded crow (Corvus Cornix) paired with a black 

 crow;" and that another writer in that work, S. H. of Edin- 

 burgh, says that for four successive years he had opportunities 

 of witnessing the pairing of the hooded crow with the carrion 

 crow? {Field Naturalist, i. 239.) Selby mentions a male 



