Breeders' Boasts 



cant, because it shows that there is apparently 

 nothing inimical to the welfare of a species in 

 having, say, the third pair of tail feathers from 

 the middle exceptionally prolonged. 



This is a most important point, and one 

 which seems to be ignored by the majority of 

 scientific men, who appear to be misled by the 

 boastful talk of certain successful breeders. 

 Thus, on page 29 of the Origin of Species, 

 Darwin quotes, with approval, Youatt's descrip- 

 tion of selection as " the magician's wand, by 

 means of which he may summon into life what- 

 ever form and mould he pleases." Darwin 

 further cites Sir John Sebright as saying, with 

 regard to pigeons, that he would " produce any 

 given feather in three years, but it would take 

 him six years to obtain head and beak." 



If it were possible absolutely to originate any- 

 thing by selection, horticulturists would almost 

 certainly ere this have produced a pure black 

 flower. The fact that not a single mammal 

 exists, either in nature or under domestication, 

 with scarlet, blue, or green in its hair, appears to 

 show that, for some reason or other, mammals 

 never vary in any of these directions. 



The fact that so few animals have developed 

 prehensile tails seems to indicate that variation 

 does not often occur in that direction, for 

 obviously a prehensile tail is of the very greatest 

 utility to its possessor; so that there can be 



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