WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



BY A. D. BARTLETT. 



WHAT IS A DOMESTICATED ANIMAL ? 



The question has often been asked, What constitutes 

 the difference between wild and domestic animals ? The 

 domestic animals in this country consist of the following 

 species : Horses, asses, mules, different breeds of cattle, 

 sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea-pigs. 

 These animals are associated and under the control and 

 protection of mankind, some of them living in our houses, 

 our stables, and our farms. They live, as a rule, in 

 harmony with each other ; they can be trusted together, 

 and may be regarded as a happy family. The origin of 

 most of them is so remote, that it is found impossible to 

 say at what period they were domesticated, or satisfactorily 

 to point out their wild progenitors. This is particularly 

 the case with the horse, the sheep, the goat, and the pig. 

 The varieties of all these animals are most remarkable, 

 differing, as they do, in size, form, and colour. Unlike 

 wild animals, these creatures vary to such an extent in 

 their colour, markings, and the mixture of colour. This is 

 exemplified in the most striking manner by the colour of 

 horses, cattle, goats, and pigs, black, white, and reddish- 

 brown appearing in various forms; sometimes the three 

 colours appearing mixed upon an individual, at other 



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