300 THE CROSSING, 4C, OF CATTLE, ET AL. 



and Fowls, and, which is so prolific of evil, by reason 

 of its entailing, in each individual or variety, the absence 

 of the important, positive peculiarities of others of the 

 same species. 



The fact, of individuals of each of the Horse, Sheep, 

 and Cow species, falling thus so little short of the 

 original type of their respective species, leads to the 

 expectation, that little, or no evil is the outcome of 

 their interbreeding. This expectation, with respect to 

 Cattle, and to Sheep, is amply fulfilled by Darwin's 

 facts. 



With respect to the Horse, it may be said, that it is, 

 manifestly, of all animals, the most proportionately de- 

 veloped. Race-horses, and dray-horses, are very dis- 

 tinct; but very distinct, only, for breeds of Horses. 

 What constitutes a great difference, between breeds 

 of Horses, is, compared with the differences between 

 breeds of other species, a very slight distinction. In 

 the Horse, all or nearly all of the characters maintain 

 the true relation. The theory of reversion, then, re- 

 quires, that the facts should show the possibility of the 

 highly-bred animals, of this species, being long and^ 

 closely interbred, with impunity. It would be an occa- 

 sion of surprise, if the horse was not a most striking 

 instance, of exemption from the injurious results of 

 this process. 



Yet, strange to relate, there is, notwithstanding the 

 fact that the evidence, obtainable upon this subject, is 

 both most abundant and widespread, a remarkable 

 absence, in Darwin's works, of all mention of the ex- 

 perience of breeders, respecting the crossing and the 



