4 INHERITANCE. Chap. XIH. 



the reversion of crossed breeds, and likewise on the subject of 

 prepotency; that the Rev. W. D. Fox was informed that seven 

 white Southdown ewes were put to a so-called Spanish ram, 

 which had two small black spots on his sides, and they pro- 

 duced thirteen lambs, all perfectly black. Mr. Fox believes 

 that this ram belonged to a breed which he has himself kept, 

 and which is always spotted with black and white ; and he 

 finds that Leicester sheep crossed by rams of this breed always 

 produce black lambs : he has gone on recrossing these crossed 

 sheep with pure white Leicesters during three successive 

 generations, but always with the same result. Mr. Fox was 

 also told by the friend from whom the spotted breed was 

 procured, that he likewise had gone on for six or seven gene- 

 rations crossing with white sheep, but still black lambs were 

 invariably produced. 



Similar facts could be given with respect to tailless breeeds 

 of various animals. For instance, Mr. Hewitt 6 states that 

 chickens bred from some rumpless fowls, which were reckoned 

 so good that they won a prize at an exhibition, " in a consider- 

 able number of instances were furnished with fully developed 

 tail-feathers." On inquiry, the original breeder of these fowls 

 stated that, from the time when he had first kept them, they 

 had often produced fowls furnished with tails ; but that these 

 latter would again reproduce rumpless chickens. 



Analogous cases of reversion occur in the vegetable king- 

 dom; thus '"from seeds gathered from the finest cultivated 

 varieties of Heartsease (Viola tricolor), plants perfectly wild 

 both in their foliage and their flowers are frequently pro- 

 duced ;" 7 but the reversion in this instance is not to a very 

 ancient period, for the best existing varieties of the heartsease 

 are of comparatively modern origin. With most of our cul- 

 tivated vegetables there is some tendency to reversion to 

 what is known to be, or may be presumed to be, their abori- 

 ginal state ; and this would be more evident if gardeners did 

 not generally look over their beds of seedlings, and pull up 



6 ' The Poultry Book,' by Mr. much experience on this subject, has 

 Tegetmeier, 1866, p. 231. likewise assured me that this some- 



7 Loudon's ' Gard. Mag.,' vol. x., times occurs. 

 1834, p. 396 : a nurseryman, with 



