88 THE PERPETUATION OF LIVING BEINGS, 



mother ; but some old person who knew its grand- 

 father or grandmother, or, it may be, an uncle, or, per- 

 haps, even a more distant relative, will see a great 

 similarity between the child and one of these. In this 

 way it constantly happens that the characteristic of 

 some previous member of the family comes out and 

 is reproduced and recognized in the most unexpected 

 manner. 



But apart from that matter of general experience, 

 there are some cases which put that curious mixture in 

 a very clear light. You are aware that the offspring of 

 the Ass and the Horse, or rather of the he-Ass and the 

 Mare, is what is called a Mule ; and, on the other hand, 

 the offspring of the Stallion and the she- Ass is what is 

 called a Ilinny. It is a very rare thing in this country 

 to see a Ilinny. I never saw one myself; but they 

 have been very carefully studied. Now, the curious 

 thing is this, that although you have the same elements 

 in the experiment in each case, the offspring is entirely 

 different in character, according as the male influence 

 comes from the Ass or the Horse. "Where the Ass is 

 the male, as in the case of the Mule, you find that the 

 head is like that of the Ass, that the ears are long, the 

 tail is tufted at the end, the feet are small, and the 

 voice is an unmistakable bray ; these are all points 

 of similarity to the Ass ; but, on the other hand, the 

 barrel of the body and the cut of the neck are much 

 more like those of the Mare. Then, if you look at the 

 Hinnv, — the result of the union of the Stallion and 

 the she-Ass, then you find it is the Horse that has the 

 predominance ; that the head is more like that of the 

 Horse, the ears are shorter, the legs coarser, and the 

 type is altogether altered ; while the voice, instead 



