Permanence and Evolution. 135 



never breeds in confinement, and every indi- 

 vidual of which is forest born; and this same 

 principle of loyal attachment to a human master 

 is also very strongly marked in the bullfinch, a 

 bird which breeds scarcely at all in confinement. 

 I have known a bullfinch which refused to eat 

 on being separated from its mistress ; while on 

 the other hand, the canary, though of the same 

 family, now long domesticated, shows little or no 

 attachment to man whatever. Now how is it 

 conceivable that wild animals should acquire 

 by natural selection the tendency to love man ? 

 Of what use could it be to them in a state of 

 nature ? * 



It also seems to me that there is another 

 point which has not been enough remembered. 

 The whole hypothesis goes on the idea that we 

 have practically unlimited time to dispose of. 



Lately arguments, whose force (from ignorance 

 of the subjects dealt with) I am entirely unable 

 * See Note, p. 173. 



