262 HYBRIDS AND MONGRELS COMPARED. Chap. VIII. 



ties of one species are crossed with another species, the hybrids 

 do not diiler much. But this conclusion, as far as I can make 

 out, is founded on a sinp^le experiment; and seems directly 

 opposed to tlie results of several experiments made by Kol- 

 reuter. 



Such alone arc the imimportant dilTercnces which Gartner 

 is able to point out between hybrid and moiig'rel plants. On 

 the other hand, the dco-recs and kinds of resemblance in mon- 

 g^rels and in hybrids to their respective parents, more especially 

 in hybrids produced from nearly related species, follow accord- 

 ing to Giirtncr the same laws. When two species are crossed, 

 one has sometimes a prepotent power of impressing its likeness 

 on the hybrid ; and so I believe it to be with varieties of plants. 

 With animals one variety certainly often has this prepotent 

 power over another variety. Hybrid plants produced from a 

 reciprocal cross, generally resemble each other closely ; and so 

 it is with mongrel plants from a reciprocal cross. Both hybrids 

 and mongrels can be reduced to either pure parent-form, by 

 repeated crosses in successive generations Avith cither parent. 



These several remarks are apparently applicable to animals ; 

 but the subject is here much complicated, partly owing to the 

 existence of secondary sexual characters ; but more especially 

 owing to prepotency in transmitting likeness running more 

 strongly in one sex than in the other, both when one species 

 is crossed with another, and when one variety is crossed with 

 another variety. For instance, I think those authors are right, 

 Avho maintain that the ass has a prepotent power over the horse, 

 so that botli the mule and the hinny more resemble the ass than 

 tlie horse ; but that the prepotency runs more strongly in the 

 male-ass than in the female, so that the mule, which is the off- 

 spring of the male-ass and mare, is more like an ass, than is the 

 hinny, Avhich is the offspring of the female-ass and stallion. 



Much stress has been laid by some authors on the supposed 

 fact, that it is only Avith mongrels that the offspring are not 

 intermediate in character, but closely resemble one of their 

 parents ; but this does sometimes occur Avitli hybrids, yet I 

 grant much less frequently Avith them than Avitli mongrels. 

 Looking to the cases Avliich I have collected of cross-bred ani- 

 mals closely resembling one parent, the resemblances seem 

 cliiefly confined to characters almost monstrous in their nature, 

 and Avhich have suddcidy appeared — such as albinism, melanism, 

 deficiency of tail or horns, or additional fingers and toes; and 

 do not relate to characters Avhich have been sloAvly ac(|uired 



