90 THE PERPETUATION OF LIVING BEINGS, 



and of the male character in the female offspring. 

 That must be quite plain to all of you who have looked 

 at all attentively on your own children or those of 

 your neighbours; you will have noticed how very often 

 it may happen that the son shall exhibit the maternal 

 type of character, or the daughter possess the charac- 

 teristics of the father's family. There are all sorts 

 of intermixtures and intermediate conditions between 

 the two, where complexion, or beauty, or fifty other 

 different peculiarities belonging to either side of the 

 house, are reproduced in other members of the same 

 family. Indeed, it is sometimes to be remarked in 

 this kind of variation, that the variety belongs, strictly 

 speaking, to neither of the immediate parents; you 

 will see a child in a family who is not like either 

 its father or its mother ; but some old person who 

 knew its grandfather or grandmother, or, it may be, 

 an uncle, or, perhaps, even a more distant relative, 

 will see a great similarity between the child and one 

 of these. In this way it constantly happens that the 

 characteristic of some previous member of the family 

 comes out and is reproduced and recognized in the 

 most unexpected manner. 



But apart from that matter of general experience, 

 there are some cases which put that curious mixture in 

 a very clear light. You are aware that the offspring of 

 the Ass and the Horse, or rather of the he-Ass and the 

 Mare, is what is called a Mule ; and, on the other hand, 

 the offspring of the Stallion and the she-Ass is what is 

 called a Hinmj. It is a very rare thing in this country 

 to see a Hinny. I never saw one myself; but they have 



