94 INTRODUCTION. 
Society, in February 1837, are correct, the vertebre 
of the back, loins,and sacrum differ, between the wild 
boar, the English and Chinese pigs, from fifteen to 
fourteen, from six to four, and from five to four. 
Even the French and English differ ; so that taking 
the totals of vertebre, they run fifty, fifty-five, 
forty-nine, and the French fifty-three. Surely it is 
allowing too much to the semi-domestication of such 
animals, and denying the same to the plastic powers 
of creation, to prop up our artificial maxims in zoo- 
logy. On the contrary, we may justly suspect this 
to be a case of providential arrangement for a given 
purpose, and that there are three if not four original 
species (including the African) with powers to com- 
mix. In the wild boar of India, the hair of the tail 
is bristly and sagittated ; in the species of Europe, 
it is a scanty coarse tuft, as well as in the wild 
breed of Jamaica. 
With regard to the general osteology of the Ca- 
nine, Cuvier admits that the bones of the wolf, the 
matin, and shepherd dogs, are not distinguishable. 
Now, where the whole anatomical character in all 
the species of the genus that are well known is so 
. similar, we may with safety infer the constancy of 
that similarity in those but little known ; and, more- 
over, presume the conditions of life, generation, 
gestation, blindness, growth, maturity, longevity, 
and diseases, to correspond in the natural relation 
that must subsist between them. This being the 
case, we are reduced to admit, either that, excepting 
