EXTERNAL INFLUENCES. 141 



Shetland homes should have tended to in- 

 crease their size. 



There is no history or tradition of the 

 origin of the Shetland pony. So far as 

 known, it has always been an inhabitant of 

 the Shetland Islands, and its characteristics 

 have never changed. The ponies are remark- 

 able for good temper, freedom from vice, and 

 docility even when not handled for years, 

 and their intelligence contrasts very favour- 

 ably with that of Iceland ponies, and indeed 

 with that of any other breed of horses. 

 Their mature crop of hair does not come 

 until they are three or four years old, their 

 previous coat being more like wool than 

 hair. These characteristics both in physique 

 and character, coupled with the breeding 

 experience, justify, in the absence of evi- 

 dence to the contrary, the conclusion that 

 the Shetland pony is a distinct race, and 

 that its small size was not brought about by 

 unfavourable external conditions of life. 



Physiological. 



The genesis of an organism clearly indi- 

 cates that external influences cannot produce 

 specific variation. 



The embryo is the product of special forces 



