THE PROBLEM OF DOMESTICATION 229 



It is the worst feature of the destruction which man is 

 bringing upon the organic species that the assault is most 

 effective on those varieties which are most interesting both 

 from an intellectual and an economic point of view. To take 

 only the case of the great birds which have recently been 

 swept from the earth, we see clearly that we have with them 

 lost precious opportunities for enlarging our understanding 

 of nature and have at the same time been deprived of the 

 chance to domesticate creatures which would most likely have 

 proved of much economic value. With each of these species 

 which disappears we lose what may be a precious chance of 

 adding to the small store of animals or plants which may 

 contribute to the well being of our kind. These considera- 

 tions make it plain that it is our duty by our civilization, to 

 do all in our power to save these species and at the same 

 time to essay their domestication, for only when under the 

 protection of man can they be regarded as insured from 

 destruction. 



The task of bringing wild creatures into our domestic 

 fold is one of very varied difficulty. Many plants are easily 

 reconciled to the conditions of our fields and gardens: they 

 may be said to welcome the care of man which insures them 

 some protection from the fierce contention with other life or 

 with the elements to which they are exposed in their natural 

 conditions. Only here and there is it necessary by careful 

 breeding to develop domesticated habits to the point where 

 the forms will endure culture. Where the task is, however, 

 to make avail of some natural -peculiarity which promises to 

 be useful, but is not yet of economic value, it may require a 

 hundred generations of careful selection to develop and fix 

 desirable features. We are, however, in all cases sure in 



