106 THE YOUNG 



causes would come into operation that 

 had made the wild rabbit what it was, 

 and acting in the same direction, would 

 restore the domestic variety to its 

 original form, not because species were 

 immutable, but because the original 

 form was most in harmony with its 

 surroundings. Could we imagine that 

 the rabbits so set at liberty were placed 

 under circumstances where any of the 

 differences between the wild form and 

 themselves was an advantage to the 

 possessor, then assuredly that difference 

 would be retained. If rabbits could 

 exist in a region of perpetual snow, 

 then the white colour which was so 

 disadvantageous on an ordinary rabbit 

 warren would be an advantage certain 

 not to be lost. Any darker rabbit that 

 came into existence would be more con- 

 spicuous on the snowy surface, and as 

 surely as the white rabbit becomes the 

 prey of the hawk or buzzard on our 

 warrens before the grey one, so surely 

 would the dark ones be seen first when 

 the surroundings were less in harmony 

 with their colour. This is actually what 

 has happened in a natural way. Both 

 birds and animals inhabiting the polar 

 regions are white, and it is a reasonable 

 deductionr^o draw, that the same causes 

 would operate with other species under 

 like condition. The hare in Iceland and 

 the polar regions is white. Those of 

 the Scotch mountains are white in win- 

 ter, while here, where we have compara- 

 tively little snow, a white one never or 

 seldom occurs. 



It will be seen then, that reversion to 

 the original form under the circum- 



NATURALIST. 



stances assumed, is not because of the 

 immutability of species, but because the 

 original form will best fill that particular 

 place in nature, and would survive when 

 other forms would not. Instances of 

 domestic animals running wild, are 

 scarcely sufficiently numerous for many 

 illustrations being given. Mr. Darwin 

 mentions a curious case with respect to 

 black pigs, that may be repeated here 

 with advantage. In Virginia it appears 

 all the pigs are black, and Professor 

 Wyman on asking the reason was told 

 that ''the pigs ate the paint root f Lach^ 

 nanthesj which coloured their bones 

 pink, and which caused the hoofs of all 

 but the black varieties to drop off ; and 

 one of the "crackers" {i.e. Virginia 

 squatters) added, " we select the black 

 members of a litter for raising, as they 

 alone have a good chance of living." 

 These pigs we suppose are running at 

 large in the woods, as otherwise the 

 injurious food would be kept from them, 

 and there can be no doubt if left uncared 

 for the same thing would happen, and 

 very speedily only black pigs would 

 remain. This would not be because 

 the original form had been black, but 

 because the black had an advantage 

 over the white. 



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