312 THE DEER OF AMERICA. 



collected together many facts on this subject, tending to sliow 

 the fertility of many hybrids produced from very distinct species, 

 and some from distinct genera. Although many of the cases 

 cited are of doubtful authority and may have been pressed into 

 the service to support a favorite theory, enough is left to con- 

 vince us that hybrids from some distinct species are uniformly 

 fertile and in others they are exceptionally fertile. At any rate 

 we may consider it too well settled to admit of successful con- 

 troversy that fertility of offspring is not conclusive evidence that 

 the parents were of the same species, although in the investiga- 

 tion of that question it should by no means be overlooked. 



Indeed it is not improbable that some of our well established 

 species, of quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and plants, may have had 

 their origin in hybrid ancestors, although, as a general rule, we 

 may expect that tliey would gradually revert to one or the other 

 of the original parents. 



A hundred years ago Count de Buffon examined this subject 

 with great industry, and collected many facts tending to throw 

 light upon it ; and 1 can do no better than to quote his conclusions 

 as recorded in Smellie's translation, London edition of 1812, vol. 

 iv., p. 29. He saj^s : " However this matter stands, it is certain 

 from what is above remarked, that mules in general which have 

 uniformly been accused of sterility are neither really or univer- 

 sally barren ; and that this sterility is particularl}^ apparent only 

 in the mule which proceeds from the ass and horse, for the mule 

 produced by the he-goat and the ewe is equally fertile as its par- 

 ents ; and most of the mules produced by different species of 

 birds are not barren. It is therefore in the particular nature of 

 the horse and ass that we must search for the cause of the ster- 

 ility of tlie mules which proceed from their union ; and instead 

 of supposing barrenness to be a general and necessary defect 

 common to all mules it should be limited to the mule produced 

 by the ass and horse ; and even this limitation ought to be re- 

 stricted, as these same mules in certain circumstances become 

 fertile, particularly when brought a degree nearer their original 

 species." 



I have for many years sought to produce hybrids from the va- 

 rious species of deer in my grounds, but have succeeded in but 

 four cases. The first of these was a cross between a male 

 Columbia deer and a female mule deer, the second was between 

 the Ceylon buck and the doe from Acapulco. The third was 

 between a Virginia buck and a Ceylon doe, and the fourth was 



