124 



DOMESTIC RABBITS: 



Chap. IV. 



the outer side. The whole meatus is directed more forwards. 

 As in breeding lop-eared rabbits the length of the ears, and 



their consequent lopping and 

 chief points of excellence, there 



lying flat on the face, are the 

 can hardly be a doubt that the 

 great change in the size, 

 form, and direction of the 

 bony meatus, relatively to 

 this same part in the wild 

 rabbit, is due to the con- 

 tinued selection of indi- 

 viduals having larger and 

 larger ears. The influence 

 <?Y' If .' v .v/ iM '/'. pk^Z' of tne external ear on the 



t Ij . tv--s -'?v"-y ?'" '■'.}■■:■ ^R \ bony meatus is well shown 



in the skulls (I have ex- 

 amined three) of half-lops 

 (see fig. 5), in which one ear 

 stands upright, and the other 

 and longer ear hangs down; 

 for in these skulls there was 

 a plain difference in the 

 form and direction of the 

 bony meatus on the two 

 sides. But it is a much 

 more interesting fact, that 

 the changed direction and 

 increased size of the bony 

 meatus have slightly affected 

 on the same side the struc- 

 ture of the whole skull. I 

 here give a drawing (fig. 11) 

 of the skull of a half-lop ; and 

 it may be observed that the 

 suture between the parietal 

 and frontal bones does not 

 run strictly at right angles 

 to the longitudinal axis of 

 the skull; the left frontal 

 bone projects beyond the 

 right one ; both the posterior 

 and anterior margins of the 

 left zygomatic arch on the 

 side of the lopping ear stand 

 a little in advance of the 

 corresponding bones on the 

 opposite side. Even the lower jaw is affected, and the condyles are 

 not quite symmetrical, that on the left standing a little in advance 

 of that on the right. This seems to me a remarkable case of 

 correlation of growth. "Who would have surmised that by keeping 



Fig. 11.— Skull, of natural size, of Half-lop Rabbit, 

 showing the different direction of the auditory 

 meatus on thn two sMes, and the consequent 

 general distortion of the skull. The left ear of 

 the animal (or right side of figure) lopped 

 forwards. 



