which belong to a distinct species; and his agent remarked to me, without any
question having been asked, how oddly wild the cross-bred animals were. The
European wild boar and the Chinese domesticated pig are almost certainly
specifically distinct: Sir F. Darwin crossed a sow of the latter breed with a
wild Alpine boar which had become extremely tame, but the young, though having
half-domesticated blood in their veins, were "extremely wild in confinement,
and would not eat swill like common English pigs." Captain Hutton, in India,
crossed a tame goat with a wild one from the Himalaya, and he remarked to me
how surprisingly wild the offspring were. Mr. Hewitt, who has had great
experience in crossing tame cock-pheasants with fowls belonging to five
breeds, gives as the character of all "extraordinary wildness" (13/42. 'The
Poultry Book' by Tegetmeier 1866 pages 165, 167.); but I have myself seen one
exception to this rule. Mr. S. J. Salter (13/43. 'Natural History Review' 1863
April page 277.) who raised a large number of hybrids from a bantam-hen by
Gallus sonneratii, states that "all were exceedingly wild." Mr. Waterton
(13/44. 'Essays on Natural History' page 917.) bred some wild ducks from eggs
hatched under a common duck, and the young were allowed to cross freely both
amongst themselves and with the tame ducks; they were "half wild and half
tame; they came to the windows to be fed, but still they had a wariness about
them quite remarkable."

On the other hand, mules from the horse and ass are certainly not in the least
wild, though notorious for obstinacy and vice. Mr. Brent, who has crossed
canary-birds with many kinds of finches, has not observed, as he informs me,
that the hybrids were in any way remarkably wild: but Mr. Jenner Weir who has
had still greater experience, is of a directly opposite opinion. He remarks
that the siskin is the tamest of finches, but its mules are as wild, when
young, as newly caught birds, and are often lost through their continued
efforts to escape. Hybrids are often raised between the common and musk duck,
and I have been assured by three persons, who have kept these crossed birds,