DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS 33 



at the Spaniard on horseback, or the Israelites' fear of the 

 mounted army of the Assyrians before the Hebrews obtained 

 horses after the Exodus. 



Species that were domesticated. The only consideration that 

 seems to have guided man in his work of domestication is the 

 possible usefulness of the species. No labor or pains seem to 

 have been so great, and no timidity or ferocity so extreme, 

 as to deter him from his purpose in the presence of a need 

 unsatisfied that some natural species might gratify. 



At this point, and before taking up questions of improvement, 

 the student is strongly urged to turn to Part II and make a 

 detailed study of the sources from which our domesticated ani- 

 mals and plants have been drawn. If it is impossible to do this 

 for all species, let him at least do so for a selected number. The 

 chapters in question are separated from the body of the work, so 

 that they may be used either as text or reference, according to 

 the circumstances and the need of the student or the school. 



Summary. Domestication was, in the beginning, a matter of necessity -in 

 order to insure a constant and adequate food supply, and it has been con- 

 tinued as a means of contributing to the comfort and general prosperity of 

 man. We have used what we needed and left the rest alone, leaving unu- 

 tilized much valuable material. Without this domestication our present state 

 of civilization could not have developed, and we could not spare any of the 

 prominent races now, either plant or animal, without detriment to man. 



The facts of this chapter will enable us to realize why the list of domes- 

 ticated species is so extensive, and it will prepare us for a more particular 

 and detailed study, of special races both of animals and plants, as outlined 

 in Part II, as it will also prepare us for a realization of the need of still 

 further modifications and the means for effecting this improvement. 



Exercises. 1. In what respects do pioneers experience the hardships and 

 assume the habits of primitive man ? 



2. In what respects do camping parties revert to the primitive state? 



3. Show under what disadvantages we would live without the horse, the 

 cow, or any other common animal or crop. 



4. Make a list of the domesticated animals and plants kept by the Egyp- 

 tians during the sojourn of the Jews in bondage, in the delta of the Nile. 



5. Make a list of the domestic animals kept by the Jews during the forty 

 years' wandering in the wilderness. 



