THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, 5 December 1900, Page 63

THE NATURALIST.

Impossible Hybrids. Mr W. B. Tegetmeier writes the following letter to the Field on the above subject: — The belief by the public at large in occurrences and conditions that are regarded by scientific observers as absolutely impossible and utterly incapable of proof is a very remarkable phenomenon, manifesting itself in a great variety of instances that are apparently as numerous at the present time as -when Sir Thomas Brown wrote his well-known treatise on "Vulgar Errors." l^e influence of the moon on the weather, of subterranean water on the divining rod, and that of a first sire on the subsequent progeny of the same female, whether human, equine, or canine, not to quote such occurrences as vipers swallowing their young, all of which are firmly believed in by the public at large, are regarded by scientists as entirely destitute of proof. Another point with which I am more immediately concerned is the belief in the existence of hybrids between' many animals so distantly related that all physiologists regard their hybridisation as impossible ; and, moreover, the production of hybrids 'between more nearly related animals, which is a general belief, is regarded with disbelief by them. Take, for example, the so-called leporide, a supposed hybrid between the hare and the rabbit, in which most people believe. No experimenter has been able to obtain such a cross, and not one believes in its existence. The dog and the fox cro^ss is another example. No careful experimenter has ever produced such a breed, and yet the public at large accept its existence. The same with the goat and the sheep, a cross which' is universally believed in in many parts of America.

In consequence of writing on this subject in the Field, I- received an interesting 2ommunication from Dr E. L. Marshall, of Charlemont, Virginia, who sends me an article from the Breeders' Gazette, a paper that holds a very high position in the United States. It relates to a cross breed whose existence I cannot bring myself to credit, but the account .is so, circumstantial that it is most interesting. It relates to a hybrid called the cuino, which is described by the writer as follows —

"The cuino is one of a special race of hogs, which has been improved, refined, by the introduction of sheep's blood. I dc not know if the cuino is bred in all Mexico, but he is to be met with all over this State, in the mountain districts as in the extensively- cultivated valleys of Oaxaca.

"The ram used for crossing on sows belongs to the ordinary well-known, longlegged, light-bodied Mexican sheep. He must be polled, and if not he has to be dehorned for fear he should hurt the sows. No pains are spared in his training, which begins at an early age ; in fact, as soon as the lamb is weaned. When able to eat, he is taken from his mother and the flock, and from that time forth has to live entirely in the company of hogs, never being allowed to see any of his own kind. He is pastured and fed with the drove of pigs, and sleeps with them at nig>ht. The progeny is a pig — unmistakably a pig. He- has the form and all the characteristics of a pig, but he is entirely different from his dam ; he is round-ribbed and blockly, his short legs cannot take him far away from his sty, and his snout is too short to root. His head is not unlike that of the Berkshire. His body is covered with long, thick, curly hah, not soft enough to be called wool, but which, nevertheless, he takes from his sire. His colour is black, white, black and white, or brown and white, He is a good grazer, and is mostly fed on grass, with one or two ears of corn a day, and on that he fattens quickly. The cuino reproduces itself, and is often crossed a second and third time to the ram. One of my neighbours, who breeds cuinos on his ranch, told me that it requires two or three introductions of ovine blood to produce a highly-improved race of cuinos. Be it what it may, the cuino is the most popular breed of hogs in this State of Oaxaca, and became so. on account of its propensity to fatten with little food. In Mexico, where all the cooking is done with a pig is killed for lard only, the meat being held of no account. This circumstance has made the popularity of the cuino, which gives the greatest amount of fat ; in fact, has scarcely any lean at all. The Tamworth would not be appreciated in this country." I am free to confess that I cannot credit the possibility of two animals of such very diverse structure as the ram, a ruminant, and the sow, a pachyderm, interbreeding. The account is absolutely incredible ; nevertheless, it is accepted and published in one of the best-known agricultural journals of the United States, and obviously is credited Dot only by the editor but by his readers. Speaking on the subject to the late president of the Linnean Society, Professor Stewart, the curator of the College of Surgeons, he replied with a question: "Why do not these gentlemen send us a specimen, when afiatomical investigation would at once settle the question?" But, fee that as it may, the existence of such a belief may be regarded as sufficiently interesting to warrant its being noticed in the columns of the Field, for similar beliefs are not unknown in our own country.

About Crows. — It is contended by some naturalists that crows know instinctively "whether a place is healthy or not. In proof of this a correspondent of the Indian Forester remarked the other week : ' c My house is surrounded by a numbei of trees, where these birds are housed in hundreds. It so happened early in April last they commenced thinning out, till they ihad disappeared to the last crow. Quite simultaneously with their migration, cholera broke out, but now that cholera- is fast disappearing, the crows are again mustering in force."

Bird Carriers for Birds. — "Some ibirds ftnugy&ta IsftUi ab£ country to another by

the help of other birds," says a wellknown naturalist. . It is, in Holland, a daily occurrence to see flocks of pelicans. One evening I saw the pelicans flying low, and one old bird landed in the water, not 50ft from where we stood. He seemed very old and tired. My friend drew his revolver, and wanted -to show me what a good shot he was. I prevented him from doing so ; and, while we watched, we heard the chirping of small birds, and were astonished to see four o.rds emerge from between the wings of the pelican, and fly lustily to the shore,- where we saw them later. The old, pelican rose from the water and followed his flock. This class of in-sect-eating birds cannot fly far or for any length of time. I afterwards found that they regularly take their passage on the back of a stronger bird, as they have often been observed ; and it is certain that they often travel long distances. They evidently do not annoy the pelicans in the least or the big birds make no attempt to get rid of them."

An Educated Baboon. — The death of Dinduna, the talented baboon left in the care of the authorities of the Zoological Gardens, London, by Sir Harry Johnston, is a considerable misfortune. While the baboon was an inmate of the Consulate at Tunis, the Princess of Wales one day visited the place, and was much struck with Dinduna's docility. "This was the greatest relief to us all," said Sir Harry Johnston, when telling the story, "for Dinduna had just previously pulled the nose of the wife of' the French Minister ! But with the Princess she behaved *>vitb the utmost graciousness, selecting flowers from her bouqixet and eating them." Dinduna learned many tricks and could untie any knot, as well as open a door. She was also fond of wearing clothes, and Avhen being dressed positively lent herself to the operation, threading her arms through the armholes of the garments presented her just like a child.

New Specimens in the Zoo. — Two curious little creatures, of which most of us have never heard, called tenrecs (Centetes ecaudatus), have just been added to the London Zoo, and though known to zoologists for- nearly a century, they are the first specimens which the Zoo has ever harboured. Belonging to_the type of insectivora, or insect-eating " mammals, they form the closest connection of all the true mammals to the ' marsupials or pouched mammals of Australia and America, a fact evidenced by the number of molar teeth in the upper " \w and their peculiar formation. In appearance they somewhat resemble our hedgehog, but are unable, like the hedgehog, to roll themselves up into a ball when attacked. Of a taAvny colour, the tenrecs are covered with a mixture of hair, bristles, and flexible spikes on the upper surface of their bodies, with soft hair on the lower. The genus, which is confined to Madagascar and the neighbouring islands, is nocturnal and hibernating, its food :onsisting of earth-worms and insects, for which it burrows with great activity. The natives look upon them as a great luxury, hunting for the closed entrances of their habitations in the mountainous districts and digging them out at a time of the year when they are fat.

It is proposed tc open, a bureau at Sydney for the purpose of assisting visitors during the Commonwealth celebrations to obtain accommodation.

advice to Mothers! — Are you "broken in your rest by a sick child suffering with the pain of cutting teeth ? Go at once to a chemiat and §et a bottle of Mra Wikslow's Soothing Syrup. It will relieve the poor sufferer immediately. It is perfectly harmless, and pleasant to the taste; it produces natural, quiet sleep by relieving the child from pain, and the littla cherub awakes- "as bright as a button." It Bocthes the child, it softens the gums, allays all pain, relieves wind, regulates the bowels, and is the best known remedy for dysentery end diarrhoea, whether arising from teething or »ther causes. Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup is sold by medicine dealers everywhere at Is 3Jd per tcttle.— A»Y7