14 Character of Domestic Varieties. Chap. i. 



existed at an enormously remote period ; and we know that at the 

 present day there is hardly a tribe so barbarous, as not to have 

 domesticated at least the dog. 



The origin of most of our domestic animals will probably for 

 ever remain vague. But I may here state, that, looking to the 

 domestic dogs of the whole world, I have, after a laborious collection 

 of all known facts, come to the conclusion that several wild species 

 of Canidse have been tamed, and that their blood, in some cases 

 mingled together, flows in the veins of our domestic breeds. In 

 regard to sheep and goats I can form no decided opinion. From 

 facts communicated to me by Mr. Blyth, on the habits, voice, con- 

 stitution, and structure of the humped Indian cattle, it is almost 

 certain that they are descended from a different aboriginal stock 

 from our European cattle ; and some competent judges believe that 

 -these latter have had two or three wild progenitors, — whether or not 

 these deseive to be called species. This conclusion, as well as that 

 of the specific distinction between the humped and common cattle, 

 may, indeed, be looked upon as established by the admirable re- 

 searches of Professor Eiitimeyer. With respect to horses, from 

 reasons which I cannot here give, I am doubtfully inclined to believe, 

 an opposition to several authors, that all the races belong to the same 

 species. Having kept nearly all the English breeds of the fowl 

 alive, having bred and crossed them, and examined their skeletons, 

 it appears to me almost certain that all are the descendants of the 

 wild Indian fowl, Gallus bankiva ; and this is the conclusion of 

 Mr. Blyth, and of others who have studied this bird in India. In 

 regard to ducks and rabbits, some breeds of which differ much from 

 each other, the evidence is clear that they are all descended 

 from the common wild duck and rabbit. 



The doctrine of the origin of our several domestic races from 

 several aboriginal stocks, has been carried to an absurd extreme by 

 some authors. They believe that every race which breeds true, let 

 the distinctive characters be ever so slight, has had its wild proto- 

 type. At this rate there must have existed at least a score of 

 species of wild cattle, as many sheep, and several goats, in Europe 

 alone, and several even within Great Britain. One author believes 

 that there formerly existed eleven wild species of sheep peculiar to 

 Great Britain ! When we bear in mind that Britain has now not 

 one peculiar mammal, and France but few distinct from those of 

 Germany, and so with Hungary, Spain, &c, but that each of these 

 kingdoms possesses several peculiar breeds of cattle, sheep, &c, we 

 must admit that many domestic breeds must have originated in 

 Europe ; for whence otherwise could they have been derived ? So it is 



