Chap. Vm. HYBRIDS AND MONGRELS. 275 



the female, so that the mule, which is the offspring of 

 the male-ass and mare, is more like an ass, than is the 

 ninny, which is the offspring of the female-ass and 

 stallion. 



Much stress has been laid by some authors on the 

 supposed fact, that mongrel animals alone are born 

 closely like one of their parents ; but it can be shown 

 that this does sometimes occur with hybrids ; yet I 

 grant much less frequently with hybrids than with 

 mongrels. Looking to the cases which I have collected 

 of cross-bred animals closely resembling one parent, 

 the resemblances seem chiefly confined to characters 

 almost monstrous in their nature, and which have sud- 

 denly appeared — such as albinism, melanism, deficiency 

 of tail or horns, or additional fingers and toes ; and do 

 not relate to characters which have been slowly acquired 

 by selection. Consequently, sudden reversions to the 

 perfect character of either parent would be more likely 

 to occur with mongrels, which are descended from va- 

 rieties often suddenly produced and semi-monstrous in 

 character, than with hybrids, which are descended from 

 species slowly and naturally produced. On the whole 

 I entirely agree with Dr. Prosper Lucas, who, after 

 arranging an enormous body of facts with respect to 

 animals, comes to the conclusion, that the laws of resem- 

 blance of the child to its parents are the same, whether 

 the two parents differ much or little from each other, 

 namely in the union of individuals of the same variety, 

 or of different varieties, or of distinct species. 



Laying aside the question of fertility and sterility, 

 in all other respects there seems to be a general and 

 close similarity in the offspring of crossed species, and of 

 crossed varieties. If we look at species as having been 

 specially created, and at varieties as having been pro- 

 duced by secondary laws, this similarity would be an 



