260 THE CROSSING, &C, OF PIGEONS AND FOWLS. 



chickens, that for size, hardihood, early maturity, and 

 fitness for the market, surpass those of any pure breed 

 that we have ever raised.'" 



The reason, why these great evils prevail among 

 Fowls, is, because each individual, either, lacks many 

 of the followirrg characters, or has them, in a greater 

 or less degree, reduced; viz.: the beak, the comb, the 

 spurs, sickle tail-feathers, head, neck, wings, legs, feet, 

 wattle, hackles, ear-lobes, wing-feathers, vertebras, coat- 

 ing of feathers, crest of feathers, &c. All of the breeds 

 are but various modifications of the sum of all the 

 characters, fully developed. It is apparent, then, that, 

 generally, each of the breeds possesses some positive 

 character or characters, which the other breeds lack. 

 What he says, therefore, respecting the physiological 

 advantages to be derived from ■ crossing the breed, is 

 exactly what is to be expected by one whom the 

 conception of reversion has led to believe, that per- 

 fection resides, only in that individual in which no 

 positive character, of its species, is wanting. 



He says (p. 280, Vol. i, Animals and Plants, &c); 

 Fanciers "admit, and even overrate, the effects of cross- 

 ing the various- breeds" of fowls. On page 287, Vol. 

 i, Animals and Plants, &c, he again notes the fertility 

 of the offspring of crossed breeds. 



On page 229, Vol. ii, Animals and Plants, &c, he 

 again says: 



" Domesticated varieties, such as those of the Dog, 

 Fowl, Pigeon, several Fruit trees, and culinary vege- 

 tables, which differ from each other, in external char- 

 acters, more than many species, are perfectly fertile, 



