VARIATION UNDER DOMESTICATION 45 



ably forever remain vague. But I may here state that, 

 looking to the domestic dogs of the whole world, I have, 

 after a laborious collection of all known facts, come to 

 the conclusion that several wild species of Canidse have 

 been tamed, and that their blood, in some cases mingled 

 together, flows in the veins of our domestic breeds. In 

 regard to sheep and goats 1 can form no decided opinion. 

 From facts communicated to me by Mr. Blyth, on the 

 habits, voice, constitution, and structure of the humped 

 Indian cattle, it is almost certain that they are descended 

 from a different aboriginal stock from our European cat- 

 tle; and some competent judges believe that the:3e latter 

 have had two or three wild progenitors — whether or not 

 these deserve to be called species. This conclusion, as 

 well as that of the specific distinction between the 

 humped and common cattle, may, indeed, be looked 

 upon as established by the admirable researches of Pro- 

 fessor Riitimeyer. With respect to horses, from reasons 

 which I cannot here give, I am doubtfully inclined to 

 believe, in opposition to several authors, that all the 

 races belong to the same species. Having kept nearly 

 all the English breeds of the fowl alive, having bred and 

 crossed them, and examined their skeletons, it appears to 

 me almost certain that all are the descendants of the wild 

 Indian fowl, Gallus bankiva; and this is the conclusion 

 of Mr. Blyth, and of others who have studied this bird 

 in India. In resrard to ducks and rabbits, some breeds 

 of which differ much from each other, the evidence is 

 clear that they are all descended from the common wild 

 duck and rabbit. 



The doctrine of the origin of our several domestic 

 races from several aboriginal stocks has been carried to 



