314 



any conjecture he may make as to the cause of the 

 evil. 



Not only are characters directly reduced by the 

 breeder; but other characters, also, are degenerated, 

 either, owing to the adverse conditions in which the 

 animals are placed, or owing to correlation with fea- 

 tures which, from any cause, do not attain to propor- 

 tionate development. 



An example of this, is given by Darwin, in the 

 following remark (page 361, Vol. ii, Animals and 

 Plants, &c): 



"With respect to Cattle, Professor Tanner has re- 

 marked, that the lungs and liver in the improved breeds, 

 'are found to be considerably reduced in size, when 

 compared with those possessed by animals having per- 

 fect liberty;' and the reduction of these organs affects 

 the general shape of the body. The cause of the re- 

 duced lungs, in highly-bred animals which take little 

 exercise, is obvious; and, perhaps, the liver may be 

 affected by the nutritious and artificial food on which 

 they largely subsist." 



It is likely, also, that the reduced size of the liver 

 may be due, either to direct correlation with the com- 

 paratively little exercised legs, or to correlation with 

 the head and its several appendages, which are, them- 

 selves, immediately correlated with the legs. 



Of the reduction of characters, by Man, the Pig 

 affords the most notable instance. With the Sheep, 

 however, it has been deemed, in some instances, desira- 

 ble to make the bones of the leg, as thin as possible ; 

 such being considered a "saving!" The legs have 

 also been divested, as far as possible, of any woolly 



