HYBRIDISATION. 



The arrivals at the Zoological Gardens present a most 

 remarkable variety of species belonging to many different 

 orders of the animal world. This diversity of forms and 

 species arriving together suggests the thought that hybrid- 

 isation may not be of uncommon occurrence among animals 

 that are deprived of their liberty and kept together under 

 very unnatural and artificial circumstances, that the cross- 

 ing and mixing of different species of animals is by no 

 means of rare occurrence, and many very interesting and 

 curious facts have become known in consequence ; I there- 

 fore intend to devote a portion of my space to a consider- 

 ation and explanation of many of the most remarkable 

 instances of the breeding of hybrids, and the various kinds 

 of hybrids known to reproduce their kind, for it is not 

 generally believed that hybrids or mules are capable of 

 reproducing. That such is most frequently the case 

 cannot be doubted, but as I shall be able to show that a 

 large number of well-authenticated hybrids have repro- 

 duced, and continue to reproduce, it is a subject of 

 considerable importance, and well deserves the attention 

 of all persons who have the opportunity of ascertaining 

 facts, and carefully recording their observations upon this 

 matter. It is a difficult and troublesome task to collect 

 reliable information, rendered especially so by the want 

 of knowledge so common among the great mass of persons 

 who have been led to believe in the utter uselessness of 



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