66 SALMON! A. [SECOND DAY. 



irritabilities, sensibilities, and appetencies, from the 

 fish ; blending the wild fancies of Buffon with the 

 profound ideas of Hartley, and thus endeavouring to 

 give currency to an absurd romance, by mixing with 

 it some philosophical truths. I hope your parallel 

 will induce him to do us the favour to state his own 

 notions more at large. 



HAL. Physicus has mistaken me; and I will explain. 

 What I mentioned of the varieties of dogs as sprung 

 from one type, he will, I am sure, allow me to apply, 

 with some modifications, to all our cultivated breeds 

 of animals, whether horses, oxen, sheep, hogs, geese, 

 ducks, turkeys, or pigeons ; and he will allow, that 

 certain characters gained by accidents, either from 

 peculiar food, air, water, or domestic treatment, are 

 transmitted to, and often strengthened in, the next 

 generation ; the qualities being, as it were, doubled 

 when belonging to both parents, and retained in 

 spite of counteracting causes. It will be sufficient 

 for me to mention only a few cases. The blood- 

 horse of Arabia is become the favourite of the north 

 of Europe, and the colts possess all the superior 

 qualities of their parents, even in the polar circle. 

 The offspring of the Merino sheep retain the fineness 

 of their wool in England and Saxony. Poultry, 

 bantams, tumbling and carrier pigeons, geese, ducks, 

 turkeys, &c., all afford instances of the same kind; 



