216 A NEW THEORY OF EVOLUTION. 



have seen how far the so-called reversion 

 extended. 



But accepting Darwin's theory of re- 

 version, we do not see how it explains the 

 circumstances. There is no appearance of 

 reversion to a wild ancestor among mongrel 

 puppies. 



The colour of hair, wool, or feathers semi- 

 vitalised structures is in many races notori- 

 ously unstable. We sometimes see white 

 tufts on a human head of hair of a different 

 colour. As early as the time of Jacob it was 

 believed that the colour of hair was not 

 necessarily hereditary, but might be changed 

 through the eyesight ; and at the present 

 day breeders carefully protect their breeding 

 females from seeing conspicuous colours dif- 

 ferent from their own. A mere change in the 

 colour of hair or feathers can therefore hardly 

 give much support to a great theory. 



Accepting, however, Darwin's experience, 

 may not the result of his experiments be 

 otherwise explained ? 



We know that the mixing of two colours 

 of paint may produce another colour different 

 from either. May not something analogous 

 take place when birds of different colours 

 are crossed ? and if it is assumed that the 

 rock -pigeon was the antecessor (not the 



