Chap. XXIV. CHANGED HABITS OF LIFE. 303 



of cats are so closely allied that tlie comparison is probably a fair 

 one. The increased length appears to be due to the domestic 

 cat being less strictly carnivorous in its diet than any wild 

 feline species; I have seen a French kitten eating vegetables 

 as readily as meat. According to Cuvier, the intestines of 

 the domesticated pig exceed greatly in proportionate length 

 those of the wild boar. In the tame and wild rabbit the 

 change is of an opposite nature, and probably results from the 

 nutritious food given to the tame rabbit. 34 



Changed Habits of Life, independently of the Use or Disuse 

 of particular Organs. — This subject, as far as the mental 

 powers of animals are concerned, so blends into instinct, on 

 which I shall treat in a future work, that I will here only 

 remind the reader of the many cases which occur under domes- 

 tication, and which are familiar to every one — for instance the 



tameness of our animals — the pointing or retrieving of doo-s 



their not attacking the smaller animals kept by man — and so 

 forth. How much of these changes ought to be attributed to 

 inherited habit, and how much to the selection of individuals 

 which have varied in the desired manner, irrespectively of the 

 special circumstances under which they have been kept, can 

 seldom be told. We have already seen that animals may be 

 habituated to a changed diet ; but a few additional instances 

 may here be given. 

 ^ In the Polynesian Islands and in China the dog is fed exclu- 

 sively on vegetable matter, and the taste for this kind of 

 food is to a certain extent inherited. 35 Our sporting dogs will 

 not touch the bones of game birds, whilst other dogs devour 

 them with greediness. In some parts of the world sheep have 

 been largely fed on fish. The domestic hog is fond of barley, 

 the wild boar is said to disdain it; and the disdain is partially 

 inherited, for some young wild pigs bred in captivity showed 

 an aversion for this grain, whilst others of the same brood 

 relished it. 36 One of my relations bred some young pigs from 



34 These statements on the intestines bourne,' 1825, vol. ii. p. 121. 



are taken from Isidore Geoffroy St. 36 Burdach, < Traite de Phys.,' torn. 



Hilaire, 'Hist. Nat. Gen.,' torn. iii. pp. n p . 2 67, as quoted by Dr. P. Lucas, 



1' , 4 .!,' , m . ' L'HereU Nat./ torn. i. p. 388. 



35 Gilbert White, 'Nat. Hist. Sel- 



