Animals (Hirer greatly in their adabtability to doniestication. The wild traits seem more firmly stamped on sonic species than on others. To admit of suecessful and profitable domestica tion, they should be of .social and docile disposi tion, and capable of retaining their fertility under changed conditions. Some species will not breed in confinement, or beeotne unproductive. This is often due to inability to observe the nat ural or customary habits at breeding t inn% and is observed in some birds. On the other hand, hybrids are more readily produced under do mestication. See BliEEns Am) ItnEruING.
CLAssF.s DOMESTIC ANINIAl.s. The domestic animals practically all belong to the classes of mammals or birds. The larger number and the more important of the former class are herbiv orous. and are kept for their flesh, milk, wool or hair, hide, et•., or as beasts of burden, some species, as cattle. being kept for all of these pur poses. The most common of the herbi•ora are cattle. sheep, goats, the buffalo. yak. reindeer, camel, llama, alpaca (ruminants), and the horse. ass. hog. and elephant (pachyderms). The zebra has been tamed and domesticated to some extent ; but, like the elephant, no domesticated race of time species exists. Although the ele phant has been much employed for many ages for various purposes in India. the individuals are still taken, to extent• from the wild denizens of the forest, this animal can only Le said to be half domesticated. The mule, a very important and valuable Nvork-animal. is not a distinct species, but n hybrid. the product of the male clad the moire. resembling the ass inuell more than the horse; and the hinny or pinto is the product of the stallion and the she-ass, puts sussing many of the characteristics of the horse. Both of these animals are incapable of reproduc tion.
Of carnivorous quadrupeds, there are only two have been generally and thoroughly domes ticated—the dog and the cat. These are kept largely as pets and for ornament, although, as noted above, the dog has been bred and trained to many uses. such as herding cattle and sheep, protection of life and property, hunting, and as a beast of burden. Certain species of foxes are kept. under domestication in Alaska and bred for their fur; they become tame, but cannot be reek oned among domestic animals in a restricted sense. .\ long list of other quadrupeds are tamed and kept as pets. and partially or individually domesticated. This is true of the rabbit. guinea
pig, ferret, and mungoos. for example, which are also useful under some conditions. The Belgian hare has recently been kept and bred quite ex tensively in a number of countries for its Ilesh.
tlf birds, the most important of the domesticat ed species are gallinnevons—the common barn yard fowls, of which there are many widely dif ferent varieties, the guinea-lien, and the turkey; to which should be added ducks. geese, and swanA, Which belong to the web-footed water-birds. Pea cocks and pigeons are thoroughly domesticated. being kept principally for ornament, although the breeding of them is something of an industry; and the pheasants and curassows Ignans) are of some local importance, though not truly domesti• rated. The ostrich has for some time been kept in eonfinement in Africa, and more recently in California and Arizona, where quite large ostrich farms are operated on a commercial scale. The birds pair, lay eggs, and rear young plentifully under these conditions, and may ice said to be partially doinestiented. Song-birds, parrots. and similar birds which are kept as pets, cannot be said to be truly domesticated species; nor can a lung list of birds; •hich have largely abandoned their wild habits for an association with man, such as the swallows, swifts, and other species. The same applies to rats, mice, snakes, vermin. etc., which hay, .1aiciated themselves with man fur protection and their own advantage. Fishes are not generally classed 2111101Ig the domestic animals, although kept by man under quite nat ural conditions for his pleasure and use: nor are snails, oysters, turtles. etc., to, which his care has been extended. These. together with a number of species of useful insects, such as the bee. silkworm, and cochineal-insect, are more properly described as erillirated than as domesti tcd.
For further details regarding the description and origin of various kinds of domestic animals, see CATTLE; HORSE; FoWL; GOOSE.
Bint.RaotArti•. Darwin. l'rrjntio, of Animals r flows( ira (London. 1S(18; New York. reprint, 1897) : Studer. Botnestierthil ininials, Their Relntion In Ilan and in 1/is ea in (London. 1S911) Helm. Wanderings of Plants and Inimals from Their rirst Horne, trails. by St allybrass ( Lomb in, 1 SN"A) : Low, Domesticated .Inimals of the British Isles (London, about 18 ; Wallace, Togas Lire Stork of O•eal Britain (Edinburgh. ISS9) ; Sanders, The Breeds of Lire Stork (Chi cago. ititi7