THEOUY.] 



POULT KV. 



[theory. 



if carried to Australia, aud suflVred to fly wild 

 there, would, in the course of years, drive the 

 native black swan iuto us narrow quarters as 

 tbo European settlers did the human aborifjines 

 of Tasmania. Domestication ailords a refa<;e 

 against this extermiuatinjj; warfare, in which no 

 quarter is given ; but in whicli, species that re- 

 fuse to accept the asylum, aud which obstinately 

 shout for "death or liberty," must take the 

 consequences of their choice, and disa|)prar. 



A singular instance of extermination, as 

 liaviug occurred iu modern times, is given by 

 Mr. llichardson. " It happened in the island 

 of Tristan d'Acunha, where poultry, intro- 

 duced by tiie first settlors, became wild, and 

 multiplied to an extraordinary degree. About 

 1822; cats having unfortunately been imported, 

 began to multiply still more rapidly, and 

 entirely destroyed the wild poultry, and much 

 of the tame. Similar cases are very likely to 

 have occurred in early ages, and point to the 

 probable distinctness and antiquity of the pre- 

 sent races of domestic fowls." 



Having placed the conflicting theories be- 

 fore our readers, we may observe that the 

 inquiry is not one of mere curiosity, but of 

 secondary importance — though it is extraordi- 

 nary, that our ejforts to tame the pheasant, the 

 partridge, and the quail, have proved unavail- 

 ing. A fact of this kind has induced many to 

 entertain the belief that the races of domesti- 

 cated animals were never wild ; and the follow- 

 ing observations are not without weight upon 

 this point : — 



" In the first place, tbere is no evidence of 

 a greater number of kinds of domesticated 

 animals now in the world, than have been from 

 the earliest period of history ; and, in the next 

 place, there have always existed as many kinds 

 of domesticated animals as have been useful 

 to man iu his most civilised state. As the 

 civilisation of man increased, so have the 

 variety aud quality of domesticated animals 

 increased ; but the number of their kindg 

 has not enlarged. There were horses, as^■es, 

 camels, dogs, cattle, sheep, and goats, in the 

 days of Abraham, as well as now ; and these 

 constitute the largest proportion of our do- 

 mesticated animals. Many attempts have 

 been successfully made to tame single individ- 

 uals of wild races ; but such animals, though 

 tamed, are in quite a difl'erent state from our 



domesticated animals. Some wild animals 

 exhibit a degree of familiarity. The swallow 

 builds her nest in our windows, and the robin 

 enters our dwellings ; whilst tho blackbird and 

 sparrow are constantly before us. 'J'his famil- 

 iarity, liowever, does not amount even to 

 tameness, far less to domestication. It ap- 

 pears, indeed, that wild animals are preserved 

 unchanged, for the great purpose of Providence, 

 throughout tho globe, and that jN^ature has pre- 

 sented to man only such anin'»als as are obvi- 

 ously most suited to his wants. With these 

 he must be satisfied. AVhat wild creature 

 would he desire to substitute for any one of 

 our animals ? Should we desire it, Nature 

 {i.e., the Creator) has placed such a barrier iu 

 our way, that it is impossible for us to make a 

 single wild creature available to our domestic 

 purposes. We may exercise our ingenuity, 

 judgment, aud even caprice, in moulding tho 

 habits aud qualities of domesticated animals to 

 our tastes, wants, and conveniences. There 

 the field of experiment is open to us — not to 

 an unlimited, but to a great extent; but 

 Nature will not permit us to make a single 

 predatory excursion among her wild animals." 

 Of the power of man to impress modifica- 

 tions of great apparent amount on the forms 

 and properties of animals and plants, there is 

 sufllcient proof to be found in the field of the 

 farmer, as well as in the garden of the horti- 

 culturist. Every ox, sheep, and pig ; every 

 plant and apple ; every cabbage and cabbage- 

 rose, is an instance of the ease with which 

 the natural constitution of organised beings 

 may be changed, aud of the wide diff'ereuce 

 which may be made from the progenitor of the 

 stock, as it appeared when man received it 

 from the hand of Nature. These changes, how- 

 ever, are only permitted, and not adopted by 

 Nature, and endure only so long as man con- 

 tinues to extend to them his fostering care 

 and supervision. Let him be taken away ; 

 let human labour no longer till the field, or 

 prune the garden ; tend, or feed domestic 

 animals ; and the scene soon chauges. The 

 natural war of the various tribes of the 

 animal and vegetable worlds recommences. 

 Tlie species that had developed their secret 

 powers whilst iu a state of social alliance with 

 the lord of the creation, when deprived of his 

 assistance, are no longer capable of maintaining 



M3 



