268 Di* Morton on Hybrid Animals and Plants. 



by him. She no doubt produced a mongrel ; but I lost the 

 opportuity of ascertaining the fact, because she was taken 

 back to Brest."* 



I see no reason to question any part of this statement, 

 which ceases to astonish us when we regard the many ana- 

 logous phenomena that are now fully authenticated, and 

 among others the following very remarkable one. 



Bovine and Ovine Hybrid. — In Brande's Dictionary of Li- 

 terature and Science, t it is mentioned, without doubt or re- 

 servation, that a mule has been obtained between the bull 

 and sheep ; a statement that claims our entire credence, 

 from the circumstance that the physiological part of the work 

 in which it is contained, is from the pen of Prof. Owen, of 

 the Royal College of Surgeons. 



Cervine Hybrids. — The only example of this class that I 

 have met with in authors, is that between the Indian buck of 

 the Axine species (Cervus axis) with the Porcine species, thus 

 giving rise to the well-known intermediate stock, called the 

 Spotted Hoy-deer. J 



Caprine Hybrids. — The goat called the Wild wyayrus, which 

 is found in all the alpine regions of Europe and Asia, appears 

 in every instance to be a prolific hybrid between the domes- 

 tic goat and the local wild one of the country it inhabits, al- 

 though the latter animal may be the Ibex, the Caucasica, or 

 any other species.§ 



A mixed breed has also been obtained between the cha- 

 mois (Antilope rupicapra) and the common goat. \\ 



Ovine Hybrids. — It was until lately supposed by most zoo- 

 logists, that the domestic sheep, and the Asiatic and Ameri- 

 can Aryali, were mere varieties of one species ; but they are 

 now known to be distinct, and are severally designated by 

 the names of Oris musmon, O. ammon, and O. pyyaryus. 

 The common sheep, called in the systems O. arieSy is gene- 

 rally classed as a variety of the first named species ; but re- 

 cent investigations render it more than probable that several 



* Memoirs of Military Surgery, &c., Dr Hall's trans., vol. i., p. 11. 



t Article Hybrid. 



X Hamilton Smith, jEquidse, p. 341. § Idem. (t Idem. 



