31 



domestication began with one species, which has since been 

 nybndized. 



An animal to become domestic must possess at least 

 three of the following qualities, viz., 



1st, Unimpaired fertility in captivity. 



2nd, Plasticity of constitution, enabling it to live under 



widely different conditions of environment. 

 3rd, Attachment to locality. 

 4th, Attachment to persons or tameness. 

 5th, Usefulness. 



_ I shall have no difficulty in shewing that all domestic 

 animals conform in a greater or less degree to these con- 

 ditions, those which I have termed pets the least so. 



If an animal is sterile in captivity, its perfect domestica- 

 tion as a race is barred. If an animal's nature is not 

 sufficiently plastic to enable it to survive the altered con- 

 dition of Its environment, or to keep it in health, it becomes 

 necessary to imitate closely the conditions in v.hich it existed 

 when wild, and it cannot become truly domestic. 



If an animal is not attached to a localitv, although not 

 an absolute bar to its domestication, it probably determined, 

 particularly in the early state of man, whether it would be 

 reclaimed from the wild state or not, because before 

 enclosures were made it was highly important that the 

 ammals subjected to his use should be attached either to his 

 person or his homestead. 



■ It is probable that the first animals which man domesti- 

 cated were the young of those killed in hunting, if lambs, kids, 

 or calves were so obtained, flocks and herds could easily have 

 been originated, and as the pastoral habits of man followed 

 after the hunting stage, and preceded the agricultural, I take 



fostXt '""'"''^""' ''°" ''-'''' "°^ ''-'' 



As before stated there are 23 Domestic Mammals, viz. 

 Cam^e ...Dog ^,^,.„, _ ^^^ 



Musielute ... Ferret /- • 



^^ I^qumc , . , Horse and Ass 



