Miscellaneous. 415 
argue that an Ass and a Horse are the same species, or a Zebra 
and Quagga, or vice versa. 
The Japanese Pig breeds with facility with the common domestic 
Pig. We have not had time to observe whether the offspring is 
prolific. The half-breed of the Japanese Boar with a common Sow 
retains almost all the external characters of the male parent well de- 
veloped. I have not yet had the opportunity of observing what 
effect the crossing has on the osteological characters of the species. 
I think that no one who will take the trouble to compare the 
skulls of the different varieties of domestic Pigs which are usually 
found in England, with the skull of the European Wild Boars and 
the Wild Pigs of Asia and the Island, can doubt for a moment the 
derivation of the domestic breeds from the wild type*. Indeed, the 
change in form is so slight as to be scarcely perceptible, and the 
gradation between the most abnormal form to the wild animal so gra- 
dual as to be sufficient to show that even the most abnormal state is 
due only to a gradual change of form. 
Mr. Eyton, in a paper printed in the ‘ Proceedings,’ has shown that 
a Chinese Pig which he examined had a different number of vertebree 
from another domestic Pig; but the skull of a Chinese Pig I have 
examined shows no characters to separate it from the Common Pig. 
Its head is a little shorter than usual, but not sv short as that of a 
Berkshire Pig. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
On the Arrangement of Natural-History Collections. 
By L. Agassiz. 
[Tue following extract from the Report of Prof. Agassiz to the 
Senate and House of Representatives of the United States will prove 
interesting as giving the views of a distinguished naturalist upon a 
subject which has lately given rise to much discussion in connexion 
with our National Museum. Besides this, it will be found that the 
questions raised have led Prof. Agassiz to express certain opinions 
upon paleontological matters which cannot but be regarded as of 
high importance. | 
Having given an account of the general plan of the Museum in a 
former Report, I propose now to lay before you the plan of the arrange- 
ment of that part of the collection which is nearly completed. I 
deem it the more important to explain it fully, as my experience with 
other museums has satisfied me that collections of natural history 
are less useful for study in proportion as they are more extensive. 
This may seem paradoxical, yet it is undoubtedly true; for while 
the most extensive collections answer admirably the purposes of pro- 
fessional naturalists for special researches and original investigations, 
they are generally beyond the grasp of less advanced students, and 
* See Bartlett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, pp. 263, 264; Ann. and Mag. N. H. 
1861, 501; 1862, 162. 
