dogs of the
whole world, I have, after a laborious collection of all known facts,
come to the conclusion that several wild species of Canidae have been
tamed, and that their blood, in some cases mingled together, flows in
the veins of our domestic breeds. In regard to sheep and goats I can
form no decided opinion. From facts communicated to me by Mr. Blyth,
on the habits, voice, constitution and structure of the humped Indian
cattle, it is almost certain that they are descended from a different
aboriginal stock from our European cattle; and some competent judges
believe that these latter have had two or three wild progenitors,
whether or not these deserve to be called species. This conclusion, as
well as that of the specific distinction between the humped and common
cattle, may, indeed, be looked upon as established by the admirable
researches of Professor Rutimeyer. With respect to horses, from reasons
which I cannot here give, I am doubtfully inclined to believe, in
opposition to several authors, that all the races belong to the same
species. Having kept nearly all the English breeds of the fowl alive,
having bred and crossed them, and examined their skeletons, it appears
to me almost certain that all are the descendants of the wild Indian
fowl, Gallus bankiva; and this is the conclusion of Mr. Blyth, and
of others who have studied this bird in India. In regard to ducks and
rabbits, some breeds of which differ much from each other, the evidence
is clear that they are all descended from the common duck and wild
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 eleven wild species of sheep peculiar to Great Britain! When we
bear in mind that Britain has now not one peculiar mammal, and France
but few distinct from those of Germany, 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 must
have originated in Europe; for whence otherwise could they have been
derived? So i