Again, he refers[118] to "the greater frequency of a monster proboscis in the pig than in any other animal." But with the exception of the peculiar muzzle of the Saiga (or European antelope), the only known proboscidian Ungulates are the elephants and tapirs, and to neither of these has the pig any close affinity.

It is rather in the horse than in the pig that we might look for the appearance of a reversionary proboscis, as both the elephants and the tapirs have the toes of the hind foot of an odd number.

It is true that the elephants are generally considered to form a group apart from both the odd and the even-toed Ungulata.

But of the two, their affinities with the odd-toed division are more marked.[119] Another argument in favour of the, at least intermitting, constancy of specific forms and of sudden modification, may be drawn from the absence of minute transitional forms, but this will be considered in the next chapter.
It remains now to notice in favour of specific stability, that the objection drawn from physiological difference between "species" and "races" still exists unrefuted.
Mr.Darwin freely admits difficulties regarding the sterility of different species when crossed, and shows satisfactorily that it could never have arisen from the action of "Natural Selection." He remarks[120] also: "With some few exceptions, in the case of plants, domesticated varieties, such as those of the dog, fowl, pigeon, several fruit trees, and culinary vegetables, which differ from each other in external characters more than many species, are perfectly fertile when crossed, or even fertile in {124} excess, whilst closely allied species are almost invariably in some degree sterile." Again, after speaking of "the general law of good being, derived from the intercrossing of distinct individuals of the same species," and the evidence that the pollen of a distinct _variety_ or race is prepotent over a flower's own pollen, adds the very significant remark,[121] "When distinct _species_ are crossed, the case is directly the reverse, for a plant's own pollen is almost always prepotent over foreign pollen." Again he adds:[122] "I believe from observations communicated to me by Mr.
Hewitt, who has had great experience in hybridizing pheasants and fowls, that the early death of the embryo is a very frequent cause of sterility in first crosses.

Mr.Salter has recently given the results of an examination of about 500 eggs produced from various crosses between three species of Gallus and their hybrids.