ld stock. Mr. Blyth, whose opinion, from his large
and varied stores of knowledge, I should value more than that of almost
any one, thinks that all the breeds of poultry have proceeded from
the common wild Indian fowl (Gallus bankiva). In regard to ducks and
rabbits, the breeds of which differ considerably from each other in
structure, I do not doubt that they all have descended from the common
wild duck and rabbit.

The doctrine of the origin of our several domestic races from several
aboriginal stocks, has been carried to an absurd extreme by some
authors. They believe that every race which breeds true, let the
distinctive characters be ever so slight, has had its wild prototype.
At this rate there must have existed at least a score of species of wild
cattle, as many sheep, and several goats in Europe alone, and several
even within Great Britain. One author believes that there formerly
existed in Great Britain eleven wild species of sheep peculiar to it!
When we bear in mind that Britain has now hardly one peculiar mammal,
and France but few distinct from those of Germany and conversely, and
so with Hungary, Spain, etc., but that each of these kingdoms possesses
several peculiar breeds of cattle, sheep, etc., we must admit that many
domestic breeds have originated in Europe; for whence could they have
been derived, as these several countries do not possess a number of
peculiar species as distinct parent-stocks? So it is in India. Even in
the case of the domestic dogs of the whole world, which I fully admit
have probably descended from several wild species, I cannot doubt that
there has been an immense amount of inherited variation. Who can believe
that animals closely resembling the Italian greyhound, the bloodhound,
the bull-dog, or Blenheim spaniel, etc.--so unlike all wild
Canidae--ever existed freely in a state of nature? It has often been
loosely said that all our races of dogs have been produced by the
crossing of a few aboriginal species; but by crossing we can get only
forms in some degree intermediate between their parents; and if we
account for our several domestic races by this process, we must
admit the former existence of the most extreme forms, as the Italian
greyhound, bloodhound, bull-dog, etc., in the wild state. Moreover,
the possibility of making distinct races by crossing has been greatly
exaggerated. There can be no doubt that a race may be modified
by occasional crosses, if aided by the careful s