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yond all other writers, and it is difficult to read with a grave face, his 

 system of species and variety in the canine genus, with his derivations, 

 and his metamorphoses ot" one species into another, merely from the 

 change of air and food ! This acute naturalist, as weW as our British 

 farmers, had overlooked the possihility, or rather, almost inevitability, 

 of intercopulations. In truth, allowing full force to the arguments de- 

 rived from the effect of soil and climate, it is equally ti'ue there are 

 certain landmarks and boundaries of specific character, in both the 

 animal and vegetable creation, which nature will never permit to be 

 passed. No length of time or naturalization upon the marshy soil of 

 Belgium, it may safely be pronounced, would be sufficient to trans- 

 form the highbred, silken, and bounding Courser of Arabia, into the 

 coarse, bluff, and fixed Horse of the former country ; nor would the 

 sojournment of the latter, during any number of ages, in the south, 

 have the effect of endoAving him with these peculiar properties of 

 body, which distinguish the aboriginal southern Horse. Of that 

 which would probably happen in this case, Ave are enabled to judge, 

 from the experience of centuries. The least practised eye can distin 

 guish in our Race Horses, a separate breed from the common one of 

 the countrj', to Avit, that of the southern Horse, Avith the facility, that 

 a man, although no draper, can discriminate betAveen linsey-Avoolsey 

 and silk. The interchange aboAC supposed, Avould doubtless haAC the 

 effect of increasing the bulk of the Courser, and reducing that of the 

 Draught Horse; but the natural and unchangeable characteristics of 

 each, Avould remain unassailable by any other medium than that of 

 intercopulation, through Avhich, Ave knoAv by experience also, they 

 may be merged, and in effect annihilated. 



Of the spurious progeny of the Horse, the jVIuie is Avell knoAA'n in 

 all countries, the Jumard, in many upon the European continent. 

 Tlie former is more usually produced from the Mare and the Ass, 

 Avhich is found to be far superior in size and spirit to the Mule pro- 

 ceeding from the opposite cross. Of the Jumard, or INIule resulting 

 from the conjunction of the Horse Avith the Coav, we knoAV nothing 

 practically, in this country; but can argue little from such a plan, but 



c the 



