ACQUISITION OF PERMANENT TRAITS 215 



cattle. This is very noticeable as one ascends the 

 slopes of the Himalayas. A dwarfed condition 

 has become hereditary in Himalayan cattle and is 

 retained by them if transported to the plains. 

 Breeders of cattle are well aware that in estab- 

 lishing large or small varieties food is a factor 

 of importance. A liberal diet will enable young 

 stock to surpass the growth of their parents 

 and to acquire additional bulk which they transmit 

 to their descendants. Conversely, cattle may be 

 dwarfed by starvation, and when small Alderney 

 cows were in fashion the systematic under- 

 feeding of the calves was a recognized expedient 

 for reducing the size, not only of individuals, but 

 of the breed. To draw another illustration from 

 India : there is a surprisingly close correspon- 

 dence between the size of the village cattle and 

 the character of the fodder they receive. In the 

 rice districts of the eastern coast they are very 

 diminutive compared with those of the northern 

 and western regions, where they are fed on wheat 

 or millet straw. Rice straw is of very poor 

 nutritive value. It cannot, then, be denied that 

 the character of the food supply may hereditarily 

 affect the development of some animals. It 

 has been known since the days of Pliny that the 

 garden radish can be raised from the wild species 

 by intensive cultivation, and manure has been 

 of vital assistance to the nurseryman in breeding 

 new varieties of flowering plants and vegetables. 

 If we concede that from bodily nourishment may 

 arise peculiarities of form that are transmitted 

 to offspring, we cannot maintain that the sentient 

 and active body is isolated from the special tissue 

 which secretes the reproductive cells. 



Colour also appears to be connected with 

 environment. Speaking generally the coloured 

 races of mankind are those that live under a 



