32 CU^AKACTER OF Chap.*. 



that all are the descendants of the wild Indian fowl, Gallus 

 bankiva; and Ihis is tlie conclusion of Mr. Bljth, and of others 

 who have studied this bird in India. In reg'ard to ducks and 

 rabbits, some breeds of which difler much from each otiier, the 

 evidence is clear that they arc all descended from the common 

 wild duck and rabbit. 



The doctrine of the origin of our several domestic races from 

 several aborig'inal stocks, has been carried to an absurd ex- 

 treme by some authors. They believe that every race which 

 breeds true, let the distinctive characters be ever so slight, 

 has had its wild protot^qDe. At this rate, there must have ex- 

 isted at least a score of species of wild cattle, as many sheep, 

 and several goats, in Europe alone, and several even within 

 Great Britain. One author believes that there formerly existed 

 in Great Britain eleven wild species of sheej? peculiar to it ! 

 When v,e bear in mind that Britain has now hardly one pecu- 

 liar mammal, and France but few distinct from those of Ger- 

 many, and conversely, and so with Hungary, Spain, etc., but 

 that each of these kingdoms possesses several peculiar breeds 

 of cattle, sheep, etc., we must admit that many domestic breeds 

 have originated in Europe ; for whence have they been derived, 

 as these several countries could not possess so large a number 

 of peculiar species for parent-stocks ? So it is in India. Even 

 in the case of the domestic dogs of the whole world, which I 

 admit to have descended from several wild species, it cannot be 

 doubted that there has been an immense amount of inherited 

 variation ; for who will believe tliat animals closely resembling 

 the Italian greyhound, the bloodhound, the bull-dog, pug-dog, 

 or Blenheim spaniel, etc. — so xmlike all Avild Canida? — ever ex- 

 isted freely in a state of nature ? It has often been loosely 

 said that all our races of dogs have been produced by the 

 crossing of a few aboriginal species ; but by crossing Ave can 

 only get forms in some degree intermediate between their par- 

 ents ; and if we account for our several domestic races by this 

 process, we must admit the former existence of the most ex- 

 treme forms, as the Italian greyhound, bloodhound, bull-dog, 

 etc., in the wild state. Moreover, the possibility of making 

 distinct races by crossing has been greatly exaggerated. Many 

 cases are on record, showing that a race may be modified by 

 occasional crosses, if aided by the careful selection of the in- 

 dividuals which present the desired character; but to obtaui a 

 race nearly intermediate between two extronely dilTerent races 

 or species, would be very dillicult. Sir J. Sebright expressly 



