334 THE MULES. 



The late Dr. Leach believed the skin to have 

 come from the Gape, and it appeared that in his 

 opinion the white markings were owing to nonage 

 We think it exceedingly probable that Le Vaillani 

 had a sight of a similar animal and gave the above 

 notice of it from its diminutive size, and, at a small 

 distance, the seeming uniformity of its livery. 



THE MULES. 



As the space we have remaining is insufficient to 

 enter at full length into the physiological views 

 which offer themselves in the consideration of 

 hybrid propagation, we must be content with a 

 more abstracted notice, and endeavour to present to 

 the reader some general notions of the progress 

 made in this department of research since Buffon 

 wrote his article on the mule, and Frederick Cuvier 

 published remarks on the same subject in the " Me- 

 nagerie du Mnsee d'Histoire Naturelle." 



Although naturalists establish, upon the myste- 

 rious action of the reproduction of species and its 

 accompanying phenomena, some most important 

 maxims of the zoological science, and in particular 

 point out the law which asserts the identity of 

 species where consimilar individuals follow each 

 ather in succession through a series of generations ; 

 yet, when they draw conclusions from known ob- 

 servations in order to generalise them over others, 



