294 THE CROSSING, AC, OP PIGS. 



differed positively, from her, in several characters, she 

 received an element which augmented the power, of 

 reproduction, by adding, to what she gave to the forma- 

 tion of the offspring, the force of characters which she 

 had not. 



The effects of interbreeding, upon the fertility of 

 Pigs, must not be estimated by the amount of fer- 

 tility in this animal, as compared with the amount 

 of fertility, in other species. The evil effects are to be 

 estimated, by comparison only, with the maximum 

 amount of fertility, for the given species. Thus, even 

 when the disproportionate development of a Pig, 

 causes the fertility of such animal to fall far short of 

 the maximum fertility of its species, it is more fertile 

 than (say) an elephant which is perfect in the integrity 

 of its species. So, the injury to the physiological in- 

 tegrity, would be erroneously estimated, were not the 

 criterion of perfection, to be the full measure of pro- 

 ductiveness, within the same species. Thus, the Pig 

 may have twenty, or thirty offspring, at a birth, and 

 another species have but two. In the one species, 

 therefore, the circumstance of having two at a birth, 

 might consist with perfection, in the animals; whereas, 

 the fact of having only a dozen, at a birth, would, with 

 the Pig, imply disproportionate development. A simi- 

 lar caution obtains, in estimating the degree of advance 

 towards perfection, by the number of characters re- 

 gained. It is not absolutely, the number, of characters, 

 which is necessary to physiological integrity. It is 

 the full number of the characters, proper to the given 

 species. As before remarked, the tiniest insect which 



