On a remarkable effect of cross-breeding / by Alexander Harvey.

  • Harvey, Alexander, 1811-1889.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On a remarkable effect of cross-breeding / by Alexander Harvey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    astonishment, tlie lambs were all without exception liolled and brownish in the face, instead of being black-faced and homed. In autimm 1846, the ewes were again served with another very superior ram of their o-svn breed. Again the lambs were mongrels. They did not, indeed, exhibit so much of the characters of the Leicester and Southdown breeds, as did the lambs of the previous year ; but two of them were polled^ and one <7im-faced, with very small horns,—while the other three, were Wn'^e-faced, with small round horns only. ]\Ir Shaw at length parted with those fine ewes, without obtaining from them one pure-bred lamb. To the foregomg examples, I may add two important general statements on the subject, made by Mr. M‘Gilla- vray and by Professor Low. The former, after referring to several of the cases just given, adds : “ Many more instanees might be cited did time permit. Among cattle and horses they are of every day occurrence f and the latter, after giving the partieulars already quoted respecting the horse, observ’^es, “ Many analogous examples could be given in the case of other animals.” And I may remark, generally, that, since my attention was fii’st particularly drawn to the subject, inquiry made in various quarters has satisfied me of the aceiu’acy of those general allegations. I have not, it is tme, seen any examples of the sort; but opportuni- ties for doing so have not lain in my way. I have leamt, however, that many among the Agricultural body in this district are familiar with the thing to a degi’ee that is annoying to them; finding that, after breeding crosses, their cows, though served with bulls of the same breed, yield crosses still, or rather mongrels. Before leaving this part of the subject, reference may be made to the occurrence of the phenomenon in our own species. I have elsewhere gone more fully into this point