Dr. J.B. Gray on the Acclimatization of Animals, 291 
seem to have been created with more or less of an instinctive desire 
to associate with man, and to become useful to him; but the num- 
ber of these is very limited, and as it undoubtedly takes a long pe- 
riod to become acquainted with the qualities and habits of these 
animals, and with the mode in which their services may be rendered 
available, it would almost appear as if all the animals. which are 
possessed of this quality, and are worth domesticating, had already 
been brought into use. Indeed all those which are now truly do- 
mesticated were in domestication in the earlier historic times. The 
Turkey, it may be said, was not known until the discovery of Ame- 
rica; but I think it has been satisfactorily proved that our domestic 
Turkey is not descended from the wild Turkey of America, but comes 
of a race which was domesticated by the Mexicans before the historic 
period. Again, the number of such animals is necessarily limited ; 
for it is not worth while to go through a long process of domestica- 
tion with the view of breeding an animal that is not superior in some 
important particular to those which already exist in domestication. 
For example, where would be the utility of introducing other Rumi- 
nants which do not breed as freely, feed as cheaply, afford as good 
meat, and bear the climate as well as our present races of domestic 
cattle? 
It has been thought that some of the numerous species of African 
Antelopes might be domesticated here ; but every one who has eaten 
their flesh describes it as harsh and dry, and without fat; and such 
being the case (even could the domestication be effected, which I 
very much doubt), such an animal must have some very valuable 
peculiarity in its mode of life, and be capable of being produced at 
a very cheap rate, to enable it to take rank in our markets beside 
the good beef and mutton with which they are at present supplied ; 
and, even supposing it to be semidomesticated only for the park, it 
could not for an instant be put in competition with the fine venison 
which it is thought that it might displace. 
I am aware that certain French philosophers have lately taken up 
a notion that it is desirable to pervert the true purposes of the Horse 
by cultivating him for food instead of work; and that a society of 
Hippophagi has been instituted with this view. Of course, under 
present circumstances, the flesh of old and worn-out horses is sold 
for much less than that of well-fed Ruminants; and the miserable 
classes in some countries are glad to obtain animal food of any kind 
at so low a rate: but whenever an attempt has been made to fatten 
horses for food, it has been found that the meat could not be pro- 
duced at so low a rate as that for which far better beef and mutton 
could be bought. 
There are also some small semidomesticated animals, such as the 
Porcupine and other Glires, which are said to afford good meat; 
but they have long been driven out of the market by the cheapness 
and abundance of the prolific Rabbit. 
With regard to the larger Ruminants (such as the Giraffe, the 
Eland and some other foreign Deer, the Llama, and the Alpaca), 
which have been bred in this country, but never brought into 
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