260 V^ARIETIES OF COLOUR 



we have either blaek or leacjBthiopic vvliite ones produced 

 from the common animal. Dr. Buchanan says of the asses 

 in the Carnatic, that " some are of the usual ash colour, 

 whilst others are almost black, in which case the cross on 

 the shoulders disappears. Milk-white asses are also to be 

 found, but they are rare. These are not varieties as to 

 species ; for blaek rndlviduals have sometimes ash-coloured 

 colts ; and, on the contrary, black colts are sometimes pro- 

 duced by ash-coloured dams*"." 



Two common peacocks produced fourteen young : tvv^o 

 were white, the rest resembled their parents f. 



The native or congenital varieties thus produced are pro- 

 pagated by generation, and become established as permanent 

 breeds, if individuals with these new characters constantly 

 intermix, and none others are admitted into the breed. 

 Thus the leucsethiopic constitution has become fixed in the 

 white rabbit and ferret ; and thus, before our eyes, as con- 

 spicuous a deviation from the common stock has been 

 formed, as any in the human race. Black rams are always 

 rejected in breeding, because they v.ould transfer their co- 

 lour to their progeny. In many parts of England all the 

 cattle are of one colour : this arises from the long established 

 custom of slaughtering all the. calves which have not the 

 desired tint. There is no reason to doubt that, if the same 

 plan were adopted with the human subject, that is, if per- 

 sons marked by certain native peculiarities were united, 

 their offspring again matched with similar individuals, and 

 this constantly repeated, any native variety might be fixed 

 as a permanent breed. Human Albinos are too few for this 

 purpose : hence we have no race in our species like the 

 ferret or white rabbit. 



The disposition to change is exhausted in one generation, 

 and the characters of the original stock returned, unless the 

 variety is kept up by the precaution above-mentioned of ex- 

 cluding from the breed all which have not the new charac- 

 ters. Thus, when African Albinos intermix with the com- 



* Journey from Madras through Mysore^ &c. ; v. i. p. 7. 

 + BuFroN ; V. x'.'u p. 286, note. 



