Insheepthereisastrongtendencyforcharacters，whichhaveapparentlybeenacquiredunderdomestication，tobecomeattachedeitherexclusivelytothemalesex，ortobemorehighlydevelopedinthisthanintheothersex。
Thusinmanybreedsthehornsaredeficientintheewe，thoughthislikewiseoccursoccasionallywiththefemaleofthewildmusmon。IntheramsoftheWallachianbreed，"thehornsspringalmostperpendicularlyfromthefrontalbone，andthentakeabeautifulspiralform;intheewestheyprotrudenearlyatrightanglesfromthehead，andthenbecometwistedinasingularmanner。"（3/82。’YouattonSheep’page138。）Mr。Hodgsonstatesthattheextraordinarilyarchednoseorchaffron，whichissohighlydevelopedinseveralforeignbreeds，ischaracteristicoftheramalone，andapparentlyistheresultofdomestication。（3/83。’JournalAsiat。Soc。
ofBengal’volume161847pages1015，1016。）IhearfromMr。Blyththattheaccumulationoffatinthefat—tailedsheepoftheplainsofIndiaisgreaterinthemalethaninthefemale;andFitzinger（3/84。’RacendesZahmenSchafes’s。77。）remarksthatthemaneintheAfricanmanedraceisfarmoredevelopedintheramthanintheewe。
Differentracesofsheep，likecattle，presentconstitutionaldifferences。
Thustheimprovedbreedsarriveatmaturityatanearlyage，ashasbeenwellshownbyMr。Simondsthroughtheirearlyaverageperiodofdentition。
Theseveralraceshavebecomeadaptedtodifferentkindsofpastureandclimate:forinstance，noonecanrearLeicestersheeponmountainousregions，whereCheviotsflourish。AsYouatthasremarked，"InallthedifferentdistrictsofGreatBritainwefindvariousbreedsofsheepbeautifullyadaptedtothelocalitywhichtheyoccupy。Nooneknowstheirorigin;theyareindigenoustothesoil，climate，pasturage，andthelocalityonwhichtheygraze;theyseemtohavebeenformedforitandbyit。"（3/85。’RuralEconomyofNorfolk’volume2page136。）Marshallrelates（3/86。’YouattonSheep’page312。Onsamesubject，seeexcellentremarksin’Gardener’sChronicle’1858page868。ForexperimentsincrossingCheviotsheepwithLeicestersseeYouattpage325。）thataflockofheavyLincolnshireandlightNorfolksheepwhichhadbeenbredtogetherinalargesheep—walk，partofwhichwaslow，rich，andmoist，andanotherparthighanddry，withbentygrass，whenturnedout，regularlyseparatedfromeachother;theheavysheepdrawingofftotherichsoil，andthelightersheeptotheirownsoil;sothat"whilsttherewasplentyofgrassthetwobreedskeptthemselvesasdistinctasrooksandpigeons。"NumeroussheepfromvariouspartsoftheworldhavebeenbroughtduringalongcourseofyearstotheZoologicalGardensofLondon;butasYouatt，whoattendedtheanimalsasaveterinarysurgeon，remarks，"fewornonedieoftherot，buttheyarephthisical;notoneofthemfromatorridclimatelastsoutthesecondyear，andwhentheydietheirlungsaretuberculated。"（3/87。
’YouattonSheep’notepage491。）ThereisverygoodevidencethatEnglishbreedsofsheepwillnotsucceedinFrance。（3/88。M。Malingie—Nouel’JournalR。Agricult。Soc。’volume141853page214translatedandthereforeapprovedbyagreatauthority，Mr。Pusey。）EvenincertainpartsofEnglandithasbeenfoundimpossibletokeepcertainbreedsofsheep;
thusonafarmonthebanksoftheOuse，theLeicestersheepweresorapidlydestroyedbypleuritis（3/89。’TheVeterinary’volume10page217。）
thattheownercouldnotkeepthem;thecoarser—skinnedsheepneverbeingaffected。
Theperiodofgestationwasformerlythoughttobeofsounalterableacharacter，thatasupposeddifferenceofthiskindbetweenthewolfandthedogwasesteemedasuresignofspecificdistinction;butwehaveseenthattheperiodisshorterintheimprovedbreedsofthepig，andinthelargerbreedsoftheox，thaninotherbreedsofthesetwoanimals。Andnowweknow，ontheexcellentauthorityofHermannvonNathusius（3/90。A
translationofhispaperisgivenin’Bull。Soc。Imp。d’Acclimat。’tome9
1862page723。），thatMerinoandSouthdownsheep，whenbothhavelongbeenkeptunderexactlythesameconditions，differintheiraverageperiodofgestation，asisseeninthefollowingTableMerinos150。3days。
Southdowns144。2"
Half—bredMerinosandSouthdowns146。3"
3/4bloodofSouthdown145。5"
7/8bloodofSouthdown144。2"
Inthisgraduateddifferenceincross—bredanimalshavingdifferentproportionsofSouthdownblood，weseehowstrictlythetwoperiodsofgestationhavebeentransmitted。Nathusiusremarksthat，asSouthdownsgrowwithremarkablerapidityafterbirth，itisnotsurprisingthattheirfoetaldevelopmentshouldhavebeenshortened。Itisofcoursepossiblethatthedifferenceinthesetwobreedsmaybeduetotheirdescentfromdistinctparent—species;butastheearlymaturityoftheSouthdownshaslongbeencarefullyattendedtobybreeders，thedifferenceismoreprobablytheresultofsuchattention。Lastly，thefecundityoftheseveralbreedsdiffersmuch;somegenerallyproducingtwinsoreventripletsatabirth，ofwhichfactthecuriousShangaisheep（withtheirtruncatedandrudimentaryears，andgreatRomannoses），latelyexhibitedintheZoologicalGardens，offeraremarkableinstance。
Sheepareperhapsmorereadilyaffectedbythedirectactionoftheconditionsoflifetowhichtheyhavebeenexposedthanalmostanyotherdomesticanimal。AccordingtoPallas，andmorerecentlyaccordingtoErman，thefat—tailedKirghisiansheep，whenbredforafewgenerationsinRussia，degenerate，andthemassoffatdwindlesaway，"thescantyandbitterherbageofthesteppesseemssoessentialtotheirdevelopment。"PallasmakesananalogousstatementwithrespecttooneoftheCrimeanbreeds。
BurnesstatesthattheKarakoolbreed，whichproducesafine，curled，black，andvaluablefleece，whenremovedfromitsowncantonnearBokharatoPersiaortootherquarters，losesitspeculiarfleece。（3/91。Erman’TravelsinSiberia’Englishtranslationvolume1page228。ForPallasonthefat—tailedsheepIquotefromAnderson’saccountofthe’SheepofRussia’1794page34。WithrespecttotheCrimeansheepseePallas’Travels’Englishtranslationvolume2page454。FortheKarakoolsheepseeBurnes’TravelsinBokhara’volume3page151。）Inallsuchcases，however，itmaybethatachangeofanykindintheconditionsoflifecausesvariabilityandconsequentlossofcharacter，andnotthatcertainconditionsarenecessaryforthedevelopmentofcertaincharacters。
Greatheat，however，seemstoactdirectlyonthefleece:severalaccountshavebeenpublishedofthechangewhichsheepimportedfromEuropeundergointheWestIndies。Dr。NicholsonofAntiguainformsmethat，afterthethirdgeneration，thewooldisappearsfromthewholebody，exceptovertheloins;andtheanimalthenappearslikeagoatwithadirtydoor—matonitsback。AsimilarchangeissaidtotakeplaceonthewestcoastofAfrica。
（3/92。SeeReportoftheDirectorsoftheSierraLeoneCompanyasquotedinWhite’GradationofMan’page95。WithrespecttothechangewhichsheepundergointheWestIndiesseealsoDr。Davyin’Edin。New。Phil。Journal’
January1852。ForthestatementmadebyRoulinsee’Mem。del’Institutpresent。pardiversSavans。’tome61835page347。）Ontheotherhand，manywool—bearingsheepliveonthehotplainsofIndia。RoulinassertsthatinthelowerandheatedvalleysoftheCordillera，ifthelambsareshearedassoonasthewoolhasgrowntoacertainthickness，allgoesonafterwardsasusual;butifnotsheared，thewooldetachesitselfinflakes，andshortshininghairlikethatonagoatisproducedeverafterwards。ThiscuriousresultseemsmerelytobeanexaggeratedtendencynaturaltotheMerinobreed，forasagreatauthority，namely，LordSomerville，remarks，"thewoolofourMerinosheepaftershear—timeishardandcoarsetosuchadegreeastorenderitalmostimpossibletosupposethatthesameanimalcouldbearwoolsooppositeinquality，comparedtothatwhichhasbeenclippedfromit:asthecoldweatheradvances，thefleecesrecovertheirsoftquality。"Asinsheepofallbreedsthefleecenaturallyconsistsoflongerandcoarserhaircoveringshorterandsofterwool，thechangewhichitoftenundergoesinhotclimatesisprobablymerelyacaseofunequaldevelopment;forevenwiththosesheepwhichlikegoatsarecoveredwithhair，asmallquantityofunderlyingwoolmayalwaysbefound。（3/93。
’YouattonSheep’page69whereLordSomervilleisquoted。Seepage117onthepresenceofwoolunderthehair。WithrespecttothefleecesofAustraliansheeppage185。Onselectioncounteractinganytendencytochangeseepages70，117，120，168。）Inthewildmountain—sheep（0vismontana）ofNorthAmericathereisananalogousannualchangeofcoat;"thewoolbeginstodropoutinearlyspring，leavinginitsplaceacoatofhairresemblingthatoftheelk，achangeofpelagequitedifferentincharacterfromtheordinarythickeningofthecoatorhair，commontoallfurredanimalsinwinter，——forinstance，inthehorse，thecow，etc。，whichshedtheirwintercoatinthespring。"（3/94。AudubonandBachman’TheQuadrupedsofNorthAmerica’1846volume5page365。）
Aslightdifferenceinclimateorpasturesometimesslightlyaffectsthefleece，ashasbeenobservedevenindifferentdistrictsinEngland，andiswellshownbythegreatsoftnessofthewoolbroughtfromSouthernAustralia。Butitshouldbeobserved，asYouattrepeatedlyinsists，thatthetendencytochangemaygenerallybecounteractedbycarefulselection。
M。Lasterye，afterdiscussingthissubject，sumsupasfollows:"ThepreservationoftheMerinoraceinitsutmostpurityattheCapeofGoodHope，inthemarshesofHolland，andundertherigorousclimateofSweden，furnishesanadditionalsupportofthismyunalterableprinciple，thatfine—woolledsheepmaybekeptwhereverindustriousmenandintelligentbreedersexist。"
Thatmethodicalselectionhaseffectedgreatchangesinseveralbreedsofsheepnoonewhoknowsanythingonthesubject，entertainsadoubt。ThecaseoftheSouthdowns，asimprovedbyEllman，offersperhapsthemoststrikinginstance。Unconsciousoroccasionalselectionhaslikewiseslowlyproducedagreateffect，asweshallseeinthechaptersonSelection。Thatcrossinghaslargelymodifiedsomebreeds，noonewhowillstudywhathasbeenwrittenonthissubject——forinstance，Mr。Spooner’spaper——willdispute;buttoproduceuniformityinacrossedbreed，carefulselectionand"rigorousweeding，"asthisauthorexpressesit，areindispensable。
（3/95。’JournalofR。Agricult。Soc。ofEngland’volume20part2，W。C。
Spooneroncross—Breeding。）
Insomefewinstancesnewbreedshavesuddenlyoriginated;thus，in1791，aram—lambwasborninMassachusetts，havingshortcrookedlegsandalongback，likeaturnspit—dog。Fromthisonelambtheotteroranconsemi—
monstrousbreedwasraised;asthesesheepcouldnotleapoverthefences，itwasthoughtthattheywouldbevaluable;buttheyhavebeensupplantedbymerinos，andthusexterminated。ThesheepareremarkablefromtransmittingtheircharactersotrulythatColonelHumphreys（3/96。
’Philosoph。Transactions’London1813page88。）neverheardof"butonequestionablecase"ofananconramandewenotproducinganconoffspring。
Whentheyarecrossedwithotherbreedstheoffspring，withrareexceptions，insteadofbeingintermediateincharacter，perfectlyresembleeitherparent;evenoneoftwinshasresembledoneparentandthesecondtheother。Lastly，"theanconshavebeenobservedtokeeptogether，separatingthemselvesfromtherestoftheflockwhenputintoenclosureswithothersheep。"
AmoreinterestingcasehasbeenrecordedintheReportoftheJuriesfortheGreatExhibition（1851），namely，theproductionofamerinoram—lambontheMauchampfarm，in1828，whichwasremarkableforitslong，smooth，straight，andsilkywool。Bytheyear1833M。Grauxhadraisedramsenoughtoservehiswholeflock，andafterafewmoreyearshewasabletosellstockofhisnewbreed。Sopeculiarandvaluableisthewool，thatitsellsat25percentabovethebestmerinowool:eventhefleecesofhalf—bredanimalsarevaluable，andareknowninFranceasthe"Mauchamp—merino。"Itisinteresting，asshowinghowgenerallyanymarkeddeviationofstructureisaccompaniedbyotherdeviations，thatthefirstramandhisimmediateoffspringwereofsmallsize，withlargeheads，longnecks，narrowchests，andlongflanks;buttheseblemisheswereremovedbyjudiciouscrossesandselection。Thelongsmoothwoolwasalsocorrelatedwithsmoothhorns;andashornsandhairarehomologousstructures，wecanunderstandthemeaningofthiscorrelation。IftheMauchampandanconbreedshadoriginatedacenturyortwoago，weshouldhavehadnorecordoftheirbirth;andmanyanaturalistwouldnodoubthaveinsisted，especiallyinthecaseoftheMauchamprace，thattheyhadeachdescendedfrom，orbeencrossedwith，someunknownaboriginalform。
GOATS。
FromtherecentresearchesofM。Brandt，mostnaturalistsnowbelievethatallourgoatsaredescendedfromtheCapraaegagrusofthemountainsofAsia，possiblymingledwiththealliedIndianspeciesC。falconeriofIndia。（3/97。IsidoreGeoffroySt。Hilaire’Hist。Nat。Generale’tome3
page87。Mr。Blyth’LandandWater’1867page37hasarrivedatasimilarconclusion，buthethinksthatcertainEasternracesmayperhapsbeinpartdescendedfromtheAsiaticmarkhor。）InSwitzerland，duringtheneolithicperiod，thedomesticgoatwascommonerthanthesheep;andthisveryancientracedifferedinnorespectfromthatnowcommoninSwitzerland。
（3/98。Rutimeyer’Pfahlbauten’s。127。）Atthepresenttime，themanyracesfoundinseveralpartsoftheworlddiffergreatlyfromeachother;
nevertheless，asfarastheyhavebeentried（3/99。Godron’Del’Espece’
tome1page402。）theyareallquitefertilewhencrossed。Sonumerousarethebreeds，thatMr。G。Clark（3/100。’AnnalsandMag。ofNatHistory’2ndseriesvolume21848page363。）hasdescribedeightdistinctkindsimportedintotheoneislandofMauritius。Theearsofonekindwereenormouslydeveloped，being，asmeasuredbyMr。Clark，nolessthan19inchesinlengthand43/4inchesinbreadth。Aswithcattle，themammaeofthosebreedswhichareregularlymilkedbecomegreatlydeveloped;and，asMr。
Clarkremarks，"itisnotraretoseetheirteatstouchingtheground。"Thefollowingcasesareworthnoticeaspresentingunusualpointsofvariation。
AccordingtoGodron（3/101。’Del’Espece’tome1page406。Mr。Clarkalsoreferstodifferencesintheshapeofthemammae。GodronstatesthatintheNubianracethescrotumisdividedintotwolobes;andMr。Clarkgivesaludicrousproofofthisfact，forhesawintheMauritiusamalegoatoftheMuscatbreedpurchasedatahighpriceforafemaleinfullmilk。Thesedifferencesinthescrotumareprobablynotduetodescentfromdistinctspecies:forMr。Clarkstatesthatthispartvariesmuchinform。），themammaediffergreatlyinshapeindifferentbreeds，beingelongatedinthecommongoat，hemisphericalintheAngorarace，andbilobedanddivergentinthegoatsofSyriaandNubia。Accordingtothissameauthor，themalesofcertainbreedshavelosttheirusualoffensiveodour。InoneoftheIndianbreedsthemalesandfemaleshavehornsofwidely—differentshapes（3/102。
Mr。Clark’AnnalsandMag。ofNat。Hist。’2ndseriesvolume21848page361。）;andinsomebreedsthefemalesaredestituteofhorns。（3/103。
Desmarest’Encyclop。Method。Mammalogie’page480。）M。RamuofNancyinformsmethatmanyofthegoatstherebearontheupperpartofthethroatapairofhairyappendages，70mm。inlengthandabout10mm。indiameter，whichinexternalappearanceresemblethoseabovedescribedonthejawsofpigs。Thepresenceofinter—digitalpitsorglandsonallfourfeethasbeenthoughttocharacterisethegenusOvis，andtheirabsencetobecharacteristicofthegenusCapra;butMr。HodgsonhasfoundthattheyexistinthefrontfeetofthemajorityofHimalayangoats。（3/104。
’JournalofAsiaticSoc。ofBengal’volume161847pages1020，1025。）Mr。
HodgsonmeasuredtheintestinesintwogoatsoftheDugurace，andhefoundthattheproportionallengthofthegreatandsmallintestinesdifferedconsiderably。Inoneofthesegoatsthecaecumwasthirteeninches，andintheothernolessthanthirty—sixinchesinlength！
CHAPTER1。IV。
DOMESTICRABBITS。
DOMESTICRABBITSDESCENDEDFROMTHECOMMONWILDRABBIT。
ANCIENTDOMESTICATION。
ANCIENTSELECTION。
LARGELOP—EAREDRABBITS。
VARIOUSBREEDS。
FLUCTUATINGCHARACTERS。
ORIGINOFTHEHIMALAYANBREED。
CURIOUSCASEOFINHERITANCE。
FERALRABBITSINJAMAICAANDTHEFALKLANDISLANDS。
PORTOSANTOFERALRABBITS。
OSTEOLOGICALCHARACTERS。
SKULL。
SKULLOFHALF—LOPRABBITS。
VARIATIONSINTHESKULLANALOGOUSTODIFFERENCESINDIFFERENTSPECIESOF
HARES。
VERTEBRAE。
STERNUM。
SCAPULA。
EFFECTSOFUSEANDDISUSEONTHEPROPORTIONSOFTHELIMBSANDBODY。
CAPACITYOFTHESKULLANDREDUCEDSIZEOFTHEBRAIN。
SUMMARYONTHEMODIFICATIONSOFDOMESTICATEDRABBITS。
Allnaturalists，with，asfarasIknow，asingleexception，believethattheseveraldomesticbreedsoftherabbitaredescendedfromthecommonwildspecies;Ishallthereforedescribethemmorecarefullythaninthepreviouscases。ProfessorGervais（4/1。M。P。Gervais’Hist。Nat。desMammiferes’1854。tome1page288。）states"thatthetruewildrabbitissmallerthanthedomestic;itsproportionsarenotabsolutelythesame;itstailissmaller;itsearsareshorterandmorethicklyclothedwithhair;
andthesecharacters，withoutspeakingofcolour，aresomanyindicationsopposedtotheopinionwhichunitestheseanimalsunderthesamespecificdenomination。"Fewnaturalistswillagreewiththisauthorthatsuchslightdifferencesaresufficienttoseparateasdistinctspeciesthewildanddomesticrabbit。Howextraordinaryitwouldbe，ifcloseconfinement，perfecttameness，unnaturalfood，andcarefulbreeding，allprolongedduringmanygenerations，hadnotproducedatleastsomeeffect！Thetamerabbithasbeendomesticatedfromanancientperiod。Confuciusrangesrabbitsamonganimalsworthytobesacrificedtothegods，and，asheprescribestheirmultiplication，theywereprobablyatthisearlyperioddomesticatedinChina。Theyarementionedbyseveraloftheclassicalwriters。In1631GervaiseMarkhamwrites，"Youshallnot，asinothercattell，looketotheirshape，buttotheirrichnesse，onelyelectyourbuckes，thelargestandgoodliestconiesyoucanget;andfortherichnesseoftheskin，thatisaccountedtherichestwhichhaththeequallestmixtureofblackeandwhitehairetogether，yettheblackerathershadowingthewhite;thefurreshouldbethicke，deepe，smooth，andshining;……theyareofbodymuchfatterandlarger，and，whenanotherskinisworthtwoorthreepence，theyareworthtwoshillings。"Fromthisfulldescriptionweseethatsilver—greyrabbitsexistedinEnglandatthisperiod;andwhatisfarmoreimportant，weseethatthebreedingorselectionofrabbitswasthencarefullyattendedto。Aldrovandi，in1637，describes，ontheauthorityofseveraloldwriters（asScaliger，in1557），rabbitsofvariouscolours，some"likeahare，"andheaddsthatP。Valerianus（whodiedaveryoldmanin1558）sawatVeronarabbitsfourtimesbiggerthanours。
（4/2。U。Aldrovandi’DeQuadrupedibusdigitatis’1637page383。ForConfuciusandG。Markhamseeawriterwhohasstudiedthesubjectin’CottageGardener’January22，1861page250。）
Fromthefactoftherabbithavingbeendomesticatedatanancientperiod，wemustlooktothenorthernhemisphereoftheOldWorld，andtothewarmertemperateregionsalone，fortheaboriginalparent—form;fortherabbitcannotlivewithoutprotectionincountriesascoldasSweden，and，thoughithasrunwildinthetropicalislandofJamaica，ithasnevergreatlymultipliedthere。Itnowexists，andhaslongexisted，inthewarmertemperatepartsofEurope，forfossilremainshavebeenfoundinseveralcountries。（4/3。Owen’BritishFossilMammals’page212。）Thedomesticrabbitreadilybecomesferalinthesesamecountries，andwhenvariouslycolouredkindsareturnedouttheygenerallyreverttotheordinarygreycolour。（4/4。Bechstein’Naturgesch。Deutschlands’1801b。1page1133。I
havereceivedsimilaraccountswithrespecttoEnglandandScotland。）Wildrabbits，iftakenyoung，canbedomesticated，thoughtheprocessisgenerallyverytroublesome。（4/5。’PigeonsandRabbits’byE。S。Delamer1854page133。SirJ。Sebright’ObservationsonInstinct’1836page10）
speaksmoststronglyonthedifficulty。Butthisdifficultyisnotinvariable，asIhavereceivedtwoaccountsofperfectsuccessintamingandbreedingfromthewildrabbit。SeealsoDr。P。Brocain’JournaldelaPhysiologie’tome2page368。）Thevariousdomesticracesareoftencrossed，andarebelievedtobequitefertiletogether，andaperfectgradationcanbeshowntoexistfromthelargestdomestickinds，havingenormouslydevelopedears，tothecommonwildkind。Theparent—formmusthavebeenaburrowinganimal，ahabitnotcommon，asfarasIcandiscover，toanyotherspeciesinthelargegenusLepus。OnlyonewildspeciesisknownwithcertaintytoexistinEurope;buttherabbit（ifitbeatruerabbit）fromMountSinai，andlikewisethatfromAlgeria，presentslightdifferences;andtheseformshavebeenconsideredbysomeauthorsasspecificallydistinct。（4/6。Gervais’Hist。Nat。desMammiferes’tome1
page292。）Butsuchslightdifferenceswouldaiduslittleinexplainingthemoreconsiderabledifferencescharacteristicoftheseveraldomesticraces。Ifthelatterarethedescendantsoftwoormorecloselyalliedspecies，these，withtheexceptionofthecommonrabbit，havebeenexterminatedinawildstate;andthisisveryimprobable，seeingwithwhatpertinacitythisanimalholdsitsground。Fromtheseseveralreasonswemayinferwithsafetythatallthedomesticbreedsarethedescendantsofthecommonwildspecies。ButfromwhatwehearofthemarvelloussuccessinFranceinrearinghybridsbetweenthehareandrabbit（4/7。SeeDr。P。
Broca’sinterestingmemoironthissubjectinBrown—Sequard’Journ。de。
Phys。’volume2page367。），itispossible，thoughnotprobable，fromthegreatdifficultyinmakingthefirstcross，thatsomeofthelargerraces，whicharecolouredlikethehare，mayhavebeenmodifiedbycrosseswiththisanimal。Nevertheless，thechiefdifferencesintheskeletonsoftheseveraldomesticbreedscannot，asweshallpresentlysee，havebeenderivedfromacrosswiththehare。
Therearemanybreedswhichtransmittheircharactersmoreorlesstruly。
Everyonehasseentheenormouslop—earedrabbitsexhibitedatourshows;
variousalliedsub—breedsarerearedontheContinent，suchastheso—
calledAndalusian，whichissaidtohavealargeheadwitharoundforehead，andtoattainagreatersizethananyotherkind;anotherlargeParisbreedisnamedtheRouennais，andhasasquarehead;theso—calledPatagonianrabbithasremarkablyshortearsandalargeroundhead。
AlthoughIhavenotseenallthesebreeds，Ifeelsomedoubtabouttherebeinganymarkeddifferenceintheshapeoftheirskulls。（4/8。Theskullsofthesebreedsarebrieflydescribedinthe’JournalofHorticulture’May7，1861page108。）Englishlop—earedrabbitsoftenweigh8poundsor10
pounds，andonehasbeenexhibitedweighing18pounds;whereasafull—sizedwildrabbitweighsonlyabout31/4pounds。Theheadorskullinallthelargelop—earedrabbitsexaminedbymeismuchlongerrelativelytoitsbreadththaninthewildrabbit。Manyofthemhaveloosetransversefoldsofskinordewlapsbeneaththethroat，whichcanbepulledoutsoastoreachnearlytotheendsofthejaws。Theirearsareprodigiouslydeveloped，andhangdownoneachsideoftheirfaces。Arabbitwasexhibitedin1867withitstwoears，measuredfromthetipofonetothetipoftheother，22inchesinlength，andeachear53/8inchesinbreadth。In1869onewasexhibitedwithears，measuredinthesamemanner，231/8inlengthand51/2inbreadth;"thusexceedinganyrabbiteverexhibitedataprizeshow。"InacommonwildrabbitIfoundthatthelengthoftwoears，fromtiptotip，was75/8inches，andthebreadthonly17/8
inch。Theweightofbodyinthelargerrabbits，andthedevelopmentoftheirears，arethequalitieswhichwinprizes，andhavebeencarefullyselected。
Thehare—coloured，or，asitissometimescalled，theBelgianrabbit，differsinnothingexceptcolourfromtheotherlargebreeds;butMr。J。
Young，ofSouthampton，agreatbreederofthiskind，informsmethatthefemales，inallthespecimensexaminedbyhim，hadonlysixmammae;andthiscertainlywasthecasewithtwofemaleswhichcameintomypossession。
Mr。B。P。Brent，however，assuresmethatthenumberisvariablewithotherdomesticrabbits。Thecommonwildrabbitalwayshastenmammae。TheAngorarabbitisremarkablefromthelengthandfinenessofitsfur，whichevenonthesolesofthefeetisofconsiderablelength。Thisbreedistheonlyonewhichdiffersinitsmentalqualities，foritissaidtobemuchmoresociablethanotherrabbits，andthemaleshowsnowishtodestroyitsyoung。（4/9。’JournalofHorticulture’1861page380。）TwoliverabbitswerebroughttomefromMoscow，ofaboutthesizeofthewildspecies，butwithlongsoftfur，differentfromthatoftheAngora。TheseMoscowrabbitshadpinkeyesandweresnow—white，exceptingtheears，twospotsnearthenose，theupperandundersurfaceofthetail，andthehindertarsi，whichwereblackish—brown。Inshort，theywerecolourednearlyliketheso—calledHimalayanrabbits，presentlytobedescribed，anddifferedfromthemonlyinthecharacteroftheirfur。Therearetwootherbreedswhichcometruetocolour，butdifferinnootherrespect，namelysilver—greysandchinchillas。Lastly，theNicardorDutchrabbitmaybementioned，whichvariesincolour，andisremarkablefromitssmallsize，somespecimensweighingonly11/4pounds;rabbitsofthisbreedmakeexcellentnursesforotherandmoredelicatekinds。（4/10。’JournalofHorticulture’May28，1861page169。）
（FIGURE5。HALF—LOPRABBIT。（CopiedfromE。S。Delamer’swork。）
Certaincharactersareremarkablyfluctuating，orareveryfeeblytransmittedbydomesticrabbits:thus，onebreedertellsmethatwiththesmallerkindshehashardlyeverraisedawholelitterofthesamecolour:
withthelargelop—earedbreeds"itisimpossible，"saysagreatjudge（4/11。’JournalofHorticulture’1861page327。WithrespecttotheearsseeDelameron’PigeonsandRabbits’1854page141;also’PoultryChronicle’volume2page499anddittofor1854page586。），"tobreedtruetocolour，butbyjudiciouscrossingagreatdealmaybedonetowardsit。
Thefanciershouldknowhowhisdoesarebred，thatis，thecolouroftheirparents。"Nevertheless，certaincolours，asweshallpresentlysee，aretransmittedtruly。Thedewlapisnotstrictlyinherited。Lop—earedrabbits，withtheirearshangingdownflatoneachsideoftheface，donottransmitthischaracteratalltruly。Mr。Delamerremarksthat，"withfancyrabbits，whenboththeparentsareperfectlyformed，havemodelears，andarehandsomelymarked，theirprogenydonotinvariablyturnoutthesame。"Whenoneparent，orevenboth，areoar—laps，thatis，havetheirearsstickingoutatrightangles，orwhenoneparentorbotharehalf—lops，thatis，haveonlyoneeardependent，thereisnearlyasgoodachanceoftheprogenyhavingbothearsfull—lop，asifbothparentshadbeenthuscharacterised。ButIaminformed，ifbothparentshaveuprightears，thereishardlyachanceofafull—lop。Insomehalf—lopstheearthathangsdownisbroaderandlongerthantheuprightear（4/12。Delamer’PigeonsandRabbits’page136。Seealso’JournalofHorticulture’1861page375。）;sothatwehavetheunusualcaseofawantofsymmetryonthetwosides。Thisdifferenceinthepositionandsizeofthetwoearsprobablyindicatesthattheloppingresultsfromthegreatlengthandweightoftheear，favourednodoubtbytheweaknessofthemusclesconsequentondisuse。Anderson（4/13。’AnAccountofthedifferentKindsofSheepintheRussianDominions’1794page39。）mentionsabreedhavingonlyasingleear;andProfessorGervaisanotherbreeddestituteofears。
WecomenowtotheHimalayanbreed，whichissometimescalledChinese，Polish，orRussian。Theseprettyrabbitsarewhite，oroccasionallyyellow，exceptingtheirears，nose，feet，andtheuppersideofthetail，whichareallbrownish—black;butastheyhaveredeyes，theymaybeconsideredasalbinoes。Ihavereceivedseveralaccountsoftheirbreedingperfectlytrue。Fromtheirsymmetricalmarks，theywereatfirstrankedasspecificallydistinct，andwereprovisionallynamedL。nigripes。（4/14。
’Proc。Zoolog。Soc。’June23，1857page159。）Somegoodobserversthoughtthattheycoulddetectadifferenceintheirhabits，andstoutlymaintainedthattheyformedanewspecies。Theoriginofthisbreedissocurious，bothinitselfandasthrowingsomelightonthecomplexlawsofinheritancethatitisworthgivingindetail。Butitisfirstnecessarybrieflytodescribetwootherbreeds:silver—greysorsilver—sprigsgenerallyhaveblackheadsandlegs，andtheirfinegreyfurisinterspersedwithnumerousblackandwhitelonghairs。Theybreedperfectlytrue，andhavelongbeenkeptinwarrens。Whentheyescapeandcrosswithcommonrabbits，theproduct，asIhearfromMr。WyrleyBirch，ofWrethamHall，isnotamixtureofthetwocolours，butabouthalftakeaftertheoneparent，andtheotherhalfaftertheotherparent。Secondly，chinchillasortamesilver—greys（Iwillusetheformername）haveshort，paler，mouseorslate—colouredfur，interspersedwithlong，blackish，slate—coloured，andwhitehairs。（4/15。’JournalofHorticulture’April9，1861page35。）Theserabbitsbreedperfectlytrue。Awriterstatedin1857
（4/16。’CottageGardener’1857page141。）thathehadproducedHimalayanrabbitsinthefollowingmanner。Hehadabreedofchinchillaswhichhadbeencrossedwiththecommonblackrabbit，andtheiroffspringwereeitherblacksorchinchillas。Theselatterwereagaincrossedwithotherchinchillas（whichhadalsobeencrossedwithsilver—greys），andfromthiscomplicatedcrossHimalayanrabbitswereraised。Fromtheseandothersimilarstatements，Mr。Bartlett（4/17。Mr。Bartlettin’Proc。ZoologSoc。’
1861page40。）wasledtomakeacarefultrialintheZoologicalGardens，andhefoundthatbysimplycrossingsilver—greyswithchinchillashecouldalwaysproducesomefewHimalayans;andthelatter，notwithstandingtheirsuddenorigin，ifkeptseparate，bredperfectlytrue。ButIhaverecentlybeenassuredthepuresilver—greysofanysub—breedoccasionallyproduceHimalayans。
TheHimalayans，whenfirstborn，arequitewhite，andarethentruealbinoes;butinthecourseofafewmonthstheygraduallyassumetheirdarkears，nose，feet，andtail。Occasionally，however，asIaminformedbyMr。W。A。WoolerandtheRev。W。D。Fox，theyoungarebornofaverypalegreycolour，andspecimensofsuchfurweresentmebytheformergentleman。Thegreytint，however，disappearsastheanimalcomestomaturity。SothatwiththeseHimalayansthereisatendency，strictlyconfinedtoearlyyouth，toreverttothecolouroftheadultsilver—greyparent—stock。Silver—greysandchinchillas，ontheotherhand，presentaremarkablecontrastwiththeHimalayansintheircolourwhilstquiteyoung，fortheyarebornperfectlyblack，butsoonassumetheircharacteristicgreyorsilvertints。Thesamethingoccurswithgreyhorses，which，aslongastheyarefoals，aregenerallyofanearlyblackcolour，butsoonbecomegrey，andgetwhiterandwhiterastheygrowolder。HencetheusualruleisthatHimalayansarebornwhiteandafterwardsbecomeincertainpartsoftheirbodiesdark—coloured;whilstsilver—greysarebornblackandafterwardsbecomesprinkledwithwhite。Exceptions，however，andofadirectlyoppositenature，occasionallyoccurinbothcases。Foryoungsilver—greysaresometimesborninwarrens，asIhearfromMr。W。Birch，ofacream—colour，buttheseyounganimalsultimatelybecomeblack。TheHimalayans，ontheotherhand，sometimesproduce，asisstatedbyanexperiencedamateur（4/18。’PhenomenoninHimalayanRabbits’in’JournalofHorticulture’January27，1865page102。），asingleblackyoungoneinalitter;andthis，beforetwomonthselapse，becomesperfectlywhite。
Tosumupthewholecuriouscase:wildsilver—greysmaybeconsideredasblackrabbitswhichbecomegreyatanearlyperiodoflife。Whentheyarecrossedwithcommonrabbits，theoffspringaresaidnottohaveblendedcolours，buttotakeaftereitherparent;andinthisrespecttheyresembleblackandalbinovarietiesofmostquadrupeds，whichoftentransmittheircoloursinthissamemanner。Whentheyarecrossedwithchinchillas，thatis，withapalersub—variety，theyoungareatfirstpurealbinoes，butsoonbecomedark—colouredincertainpartsoftheirbodies，andarethencalledHimalayans。TheyoungHimalayans，however，aresometimesatfirsteitherpalegreyorcompletelyblack，ineithercasechangingafteratimetowhite。InafuturechapterIshalladvancealargebodyoffactsshowingthat，whentwovarietiesarecrossedbothofwhichdifferincolourfromtheirparent—stock，thereisastrongtendencyintheyoungtoreverttotheaboriginalcolour;andwhatisveryremarkable，thisreversionoccasionallysupervenes，notbeforebirth，butduringthegrowthoftheanimal。Hence，ifitcouldbeshownthatsilver—greysandchinchillasweretheoffspringofacrossbetweenablackandalbinovarietywiththecoloursintimatelyblended——asuppositioninitselfnotimprobable，andsupportedbythecircumstanceofsilver—greysinwarrenssometimesproducingcreamy—whiteyoung，whichultimatelybecomeblack——thenalltheabovegivenparadoxicalfactsonthechangesofcolourinsilver—greysandintheirdescendantstheHimalayanswouldcomeunderthelawofreversion，superveningatdifferentperiodsofgrowthandindifferentdegrees，eithertotheoriginalblackortotheoriginalalbinoparent—variety。
Itis，also，remarkablethatHimalayans，thoughproducedsosuddenly;breedtrue。Butas，whilstyoung，theyarealbinoes，thecasefallsunderaverygeneralrule;albinismbeingwellknowntobestronglyinherited，forinstancewithwhitemiceandmanyotherquadrupeds，andevenwhiteflowers。
Butwhy，itmaybeasked，dotheears，tail，nose，andfeet，andnootherpartofthebody，reverttoablackcolour？Thisapparentlydependsonalaw，whichgenerallyholdsgood，namely，thatcharacterscommontomanyspeciesofagenus——andthis，infact，implieslonginheritancefromtheancientprogenitorofthegenus——arefoundtoresistvariation，ortoreappeariflost，morepersistentlythanthecharacterswhichareconfinedtotheseparatespecies。Now，inthegenusLepus，alargemajorityofthespecieshavetheirearsandtheuppersurfaceofthetailtintedblack;butthepersistenceofthesemarksisbestseeninthosespecieswhichinwinterbecomewhite:thus，inScotlandtheL。variabilis（4/19。G。R。
Waterhouse’NaturalHistoryofMammalia:Rodents’1846pages52，60，105。）
initswinterdresshasashadeofcolouronitsnose，andthetipsofitsearsareblack:intheL。tibetanustheearsareblack，theuppersurfaceofthetailgreyish—black，andthesolesofthefeetbrown:inL。glacialisthewinterfurispurewhite，exceptthesolesofthefeetandthepointsoftheears。Eveninthevariously—colouredfancyrabbitswemayoftenobserveatendencyinthesesamepartstobemoredarklytintedthantherestofthebody。ThustheseveralcolouredmarksontheHimalayanrabbits，astheygrowold，arerenderedintelligible。Imayaddanearlyanalogouscase:fancyrabbitsveryoftenhaveawhitestarontheirforeheads;andthecommonEnglishhare，whilstyoung，generallyhas，asIhavemyselfobserved，asimilarwhitestaronitsforehead。
WhenvariouslycolouredrabbitsaresetfreeinEurope，andarethusplacedundertheirnaturalconditions，theygenerallyreverttotheaboriginalgreycolour;thismaybeinpartduetothetendencyinallcrossedanimals，aslatelyobserved，toreverttotheirprimordialstate。Butthistendencydoesnotalwaysprevail;thussilver—greyrabbitsarekeptinwarrens，andremaintruethoughlivingalmostinastateofnature;butawarrenmustnotbestockedwithbothsilver—greysandcommonrabbits;
otherwise"inafewyearstherewillbenonebutcommongreyssurviving。"
（4/20。Delameron’PigeonsandRabbits’page114。）Whenrabbitsrunwildinforeigncountriesundernewconditionsoflife，theybynomeansalwaysreverttotheiraboriginalcolour。InJamaicatheferalrabbitsaredescribedashavingbeen"slate—coloured，deeplytintedwithsprinklingsofwhiteontheneck，ontheshoulders，andontheback;softeningofftoblue—whiteunderthebreastandbelly。"（4/21。Gosse’SojourninJamaica’
1851page441asdescribedbyanexcellentobserver，Mr。R。Hill。Thisistheonlyknowncaseinwhichrabbitshavebecomeferalinahotcountry。
Theycanbekept，however，atLoanda（seeLivingstone’Travels’page407）。
InpartsofIndia，asIaminformedbyMr。Blyth，theybreedwell。）Butinthistropicalislandtheconditionswerenotfavourabletotheirincrease，andtheyneverspreadwidely，andarenowextinct，asIhearfromMr。R。
Hill，owingtoagreatfirewhichoccurredinthewoods。RabbitsduringmanyyearshaverunwildintheFalklandIslands;theyareabundantincertainparts，butdonotspreadextensively。Mostofthemareofthecommongreycolour;afew，asIaminformedbyAdmiralSulivan，arehare—
coloured，andmanyareblack，oftenwithnearlysymmetricalwhitemarksontheirfaces。Hence，M。Lessondescribedtheblackvarietyasadistinctspecies，underthenameofLepusmagellanicus，butthis，asIhaveelsewhereshown，isanerror。（4/22。Darwin’JournalofResearches’page193;and’ZoologyoftheVoyageoftheBeagle:Mammalia’page92。）WithinrecenttimesthesealershavestockedsomeofthesmalloutlyingisletsintheFalklandgroupwithrabbits;andonPebbleIslet，asIhearfromAdmiralSulivan，alargeproportionarehare—coloured，whereasonRabbitIsletalargeproportionareofabluishcolour，whichisnotelsewhereseen。Howtherabbitswerecolouredwhichwereturnedoutoftheseisletsisnotknown。
TherabbitswhichhavebecomeferalontheislandofPortoSanto，nearMadeira，deserveafulleraccount。In1418or1419，J。GonzalesZarco（4/23。Kerr’CollectionofVoyages’volume2page177:page205forCadaMosto。AccordingtoaworkpublishedinLisbonin1717entitled’HistoriaInsulana’writtenbyaJesuit，therabbitswereturnedoutin1420。Someauthorsbelievethattheislandwasdiscoveredin1413。）happenedtohaveafemalerabbitonboardwhichhadproducedyoungduringthevoyage，andheturnedthemalloutontheisland。Theseanimalssoonincreasedsorapidly，thattheybecameanuisance，andactuallycausedtheabandonmentofthesettlement。Thirty—sevenyearssubsequently，CadaMostodescribesthemasinnumerable;noristhissurprising，astheislandwasnotinhabitedbyanybeastofpreyorbyanyterrestrialmammal。Wedonotknowthecharacterofthemother—rabbit;butitwasprobablythecommondomesticatedkind。TheSpanishpeninsula，whenceZarcosailed，isknowntohaveaboundedwiththecommonwildspeciesatthemostremotehistoricalperiod;andastheserabbitsweretakenonboardforfood，itisimprobablethattheyshouldhavebeenofanypeculiarbreed。Thatthebreedwaswelldomesticatedisshownbythedoehavinglitteredduringthevoyage。Mr。Wollaston，atmyrequest，broughthometwooftheseferalrabbitsinspiritsofwine;and，subsequently，Mr。W。Haywoodsenttomethreemorespecimensinbrine，andtwoalive。Thesesevenspecimens，thoughcaughtatdifferentperiods，closelyresembledeachother。Theywerefullgrown，asshownbythestateoftheirbones。AlthoughtheconditionsoflifeinPortoSantoareevidentlyhighlyfavourabletorabbits，asprovedbytheirextraordinarilyrapidincrease，yettheydifferconspicuouslyintheirsmallsizefromthewildEnglishrabbit。FourEnglishrabbits，measuredfromtheincisorstotheanus，variedbetween17and173/4inchesinlength;whilsttwoofthePortoSantorabbitswereonly141/2and15inchesinlength。Butthedecreaseinsizeisbestshownbyweight;fourwildEnglishrabbitsaveraged3pounds5ounces，whilstoneofthePortoSantorabbits，whichhadlivedforfouryearsintheZoologicalGardens，buthadbecomethin，weighedonly1pound9ounces。Afairertestisaffordedbythecomparisonofthewell—cleanedlimb—bonesofaPortoSantorabbitkilledontheislandwiththesamebonesofawildEnglishrabbitofaveragesize，andtheydifferedintheproportionofratherlessthanfivetonine。SothatthePortoSantorabbitshavedecreasednearlythreeinchesinlength，andalmosthalfinweightofbody。（4/24。SomethingofthesamekindhasoccurredontheislandofLipari，where，accordingtoSpallanzani（’VoyagedanslesdeuxSiciles’quotedbyGodron’Del’Espece’page364），acountrymanturnedoutsomerabbitswhichmultipliedprodigiously，but，saysSpallanzani，"leslapinsdel’iledeLiparisontpluspetitsqueceuxqu’oneleveendomesticite。"）Theheadhasnotdecreasedinlengthproportionallywiththebody;andthecapacityofthebraincaseis，asweshallhereaftersee，singularlyvariable。Ipreparedfourskulls，andtheseresembledeachothermorecloselythandogenerallytheskullsofwildEnglishrabbits;
buttheonlydifferenceinstructurewhichtheypresentedwasthatthesupra—orbitalprocessesofthefrontalboneswerenarrower。
IncolourthePortoSantorabbitdiffersconsiderablyfromthecommonrabbit;theuppersurfaceisredder，andisrarelyinterspersedwithanyblackorblack—tippedhairs。Thethroatandcertainpartsoftheundersurface，insteadofbeingpurewhite，aregenerallypalegreyorleadencolour。Butthemostremarkabledifferenceisintheearsandtail;IhaveexaminedmanyfreshEnglishrabbits，andthelargecollectionofskinsintheBritishMuseumfromvariouscountries，andallhavetheuppersurfaceofthetailandthetipsoftheearsclothedwithblackish—greyfur;andthisisgiveninmostworksasoneofthespecificcharactersoftherabbit。NowinthesevenPortoSantorabbitstheuppersurfaceofthetailwasreddish—brown，andthetipsoftheearshadnotraceoftheblackedging。Butherewemeetwithasingularcircumstance:inJune，1861I
examinedtwooftheserabbitsrecentlysenttotheZoologicalGardens，andtheirtailsandearswerecolouredasjustdescribed;butwhenoneoftheirdeadbodieswassenttomeinFebruary，1865，theearswereplainlyedged，andtheuppersurfaceofthetailwascoveredwithblackish—greyfur，andthewholebodywasmuchlessred;sothatundertheEnglishclimatethisindividualrabbithadrecoveredthepropercolourofitsfurinratherlessthanfouryears！
ThetwolittlePortoSantorabbits，whilstaliveintheZoologicalGardens，hadaremarkablydifferentappearancefromthecommonkind。Theywereextraordinarilywildandactive，sothatmanypersonsexclaimedonseeingthemthattheyweremorelikelargeratsthanrabbits。Theywerenocturnaltoanunusualdegreeintheirhabits，andtheirwildnesswasneverintheleastsubdued;sothatthesuperintendent，Mr。Bartlett，assuredmethathehadneverhadawilderanimalunderhischarge。Thisisasingularfact，consideringthattheyaredescendedfromadomesticatedbreed。Iwassomuchsurprisedatit，thatIrequestedMr。Haywoodtomakeinquiriesonthespot，whethertheyweremuchhuntedbytheinhabitants，orpersecutedbyhawks，orcats，orotheranimals;butthisisnotthecase，andnocausecanbeassignedfortheirwildness。Theylivebothonthecentral，higherrockylandandnearthesea—cliffs，and，frombeingexceedinglyshyandtimid，seldomappearinthelowerandcultivateddistricts。Theyaresaidtoproducefromfourtosixyoungatabirth，andtheirbreedingseasonisinJulyandAugust。Lastly，andthisisahighlyremarkablefact，Mr。
Bartlettcouldneversucceedingettingthesetworabbits，whichwerebothmales，toassociateorbreedwiththefemalesofseveralbreedswhichwererepeatedlyplacedwiththem。