400 THE CAUSES OF THE ox 
pen that the son shall exhibit the maternal type 
of character, or the daughter possess the character- 
istics of the father’s family. There are all sorts of 
intermixtures and intermediate conditions between 
the two, where complexion, or beauty, or fifty other 
different peculiarities belonging to either side of 
the house, are reproduced in other members of the 
same family. Indeed, it is sometimes to be re- 
marked in this kind of variation, that the variety 
belongs, strictly speaking, to neither of the im- 
mediate parents; you will see a child in a family ~ 
who is not like either its father or its mother; but — 
some old person who knew its grandfather or 
grandmother, or, it may be, an uncle, or, perhaps, — 
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 character- 
istic of some previous member of the family comes 
out and is reproduced and recognised in the most — 
unexpected manner. 
But apart from that matter of general experience, 
there are some cases which put that curious mix-_ 
ture 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 hinny. = It is” 
a very rare thing in this country to see a hinny. 
I never saw one myself; but they have been very 
carefully studied. Now, the curious thing is this, 
