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E. H. HARPER. 



and great-grandparents. The results showed that a secular 

 change has been in progress in the breed increasing the per cent, 

 of black individuals. The figures are given in Table I. 



The per cent, of grays among the great-grandparents was 58, 

 and this declined to 47 per cent, among the grandparents and 



TABLE I. 



to 39 per cent, among the parents. Corresponding to these 

 there was a rise in the per cent, of blacks from 37 per cent, 

 among the great-grandparents to 46 per cent, of the grandparents 

 and 49 per cent, of the parents. There was also an increase in 

 the bay-brown group from 6 per cent, to 1 2 per cent. 



These facts correspond to the testimony of breeders in regard 

 to the increasing popularity of black. The preference or fashion 

 for black seems to be leading to a gradual change from the 

 formerly predominant gray color of the breed which prevailed in 

 its place of origin in France. The gray-white group of colors 

 includes a number of minor varieties and is the outcome of 

 former generations of inbreeding of animals of this color. 



The 179 offspring whose ancestry has been traced are them- 

 selves divided as follows among the three color groups : Gray 

 64, black 91, bay-brown 24. This is a showing of 51 per cent, 

 of blacks among the offspring, which is in excess of the per cent, 

 found among the parents. Doubtless this is an exhibition of the 

 breeders' preference for black which has led to an excessive 

 registration of animals of the favorite color. The expense of 



