136 THE DOCTRINE OF DESCENT. 
originally variable, and on their first accidental appear- 
ance usually perceived only by the careful eye of a 
connoisseur. But not a few cases are likewise certified 
in which an accidental deformity and a new charactet 
appearing suddenly even in a single individual have lent 
themselves to the rapid formation of a race. “Thus,” 
as Darwin relates,“ “in 1791 a ram lamb was born in 
Massachusetts, having short, crooked legs and a long 
back like a turnspit dog. From this. one lamb the otter 
or ancon semi-monstrous breed was raised; as these 
sheep could not leap over the fences, it was thought that 
they would be valuable ; but they have been supplanted 
by merinos, and thus exterminated. These sheep are 
remarkable from transmitting their character so truly, 
that Colonel Humphreys never heard of but one ques- 
tionable case of an ancon ram and ewe not producing 
ancon offspring.”—“ A more interesting case has been 
recorded in the Report of the Juries for the Great Exhi- 
bition (1851), namely, the production of a merino ram 
lamb on the Mauchamp farm in 1828, which was remark- 
able for its long, smooth, straight, and silky wool. By 
the year 1833, Mr. Graux had raised rams enough to 
serve his whole flock, and after a few years more he was 
able to sell stock of his new breed. So peculiar and 
valuable is the wool, that it sells at 25 per cent. above 
the best merino wool; even the fleeces of half-bred 
animals are valuable, and are known in France as the 
Mauchamp merino, It is interesting, as-showing how 
generally any marked deviation of structure is accom- 
panied by other deviations, that the first ram and his off- 
spring were of small size with large heads, long necks, 
narrow chests, and long flanks; but these blemishes 
