Chap. XIII. REVERSION. o 



cases were given in the case of the fowl. With the common 

 ass, as the legs of the wild progenitor are almost always 

 striped, we may feel assured that the occasional appearance 

 of such stripes in the domestic animal is a case of simple 

 reversion. But I shall be compelled to refer again to these 

 cases, and therefore here pass them over. 



The aboriginal species from which our domesticated cattle 

 and sheep are descended, no doubt possessed horns ; but 

 several hornless breeds are now well established. Yet in 

 these — for instance, in Southdown sheep — " it is not unusual 

 to find among the male lambs some with small horns." The 

 horns, which thus occasionally reappear in other polled breeds, 

 either " grow to the full size," or are curiously attached to the 

 skin alone and hang " loosely down, or drop off." l The 

 Galloways and Suffolk cattle have been hornless for the last 

 100 or 150 years, but a horned calf, with the horn often 

 loosely attached, is occasionally produced. - 



There is reason to believe that sheep in their early domesti- 

 cated condition were " brown or dingy black ; " but even in 

 the time of David certain flocks were spoken of as white as 

 snow. During the classical period the sheep of Spain are 

 described by several ancient authors as being black, red, or 

 tawny. 3 At the present day, notwithstanding the great car-. 

 which is taken to prevent it, particoloured lambs and some 

 entirely black are occasionally, or even frequently, dropped 

 by our most highly improved and valued breeds, such as the 

 Southdowns. iSince the time of the famous Bakewell, during 

 the last century, the Leicester sheep have been bred with the 

 most scrupulous care ; yet occasionally grey-faced, or black- 

 spotted, or wholly black lambs appear. 4 This occurs still 

 more frequently with the less improved breeds, such as the 

 Xorfolks. 5 As bearing on this tendency in sheep to revert 

 to dark colours, I may state (though in doing so I trench on 



1 Youatt on Sheep, pp. 20, 234. 145. 



The same fact of loose horns oc- 4 I have been informed of this fact 



casionally appearing in hornless breels through the Rev. W. D. Fox, on tiit 



has been observed in Germany ; excellent authority of Mr. Wilmot : 



Bechstein, ' Xaturgesch. Deutsch- see, also, remarks on this subject ii 



iands.' b. i. s. 362. an article in the 'Quarterly Review. ' 



* Youatt on Cattle, pp. 155, 174. 1849, p. 395. 



* Youatt on Sheep, 1838, pp. 17, 5 Youatt, pp. 19, 234. 



B 2 



