110 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



here will give us their views in relation to this thing. My idea 

 is, that if we are to make the most perfect animal, it must run 

 with the mother until she has imparted to it all she can. 



Professor Chadbourne. I am satisfied that the matter of 

 color is one of deep significance, and I hope it will not pass out 

 of the minds of the members of this Board ; but that they will 

 make accurate observations in regard to its effect. There are 

 many curious things in connection with the color of animals, 

 that I am entirely at a loss to understand, and I was very much 

 delighted when the Professor referred to it this morning. It has 

 seemed to me strange that we overlooked it, when it is so evident 

 that it has such a connection with the characteristics of animals. 

 When we take wild animals, we see how generally color is asso- 

 ciated with sex. Take our birds. The male scarlet taniger is 

 perfectly brilliant, while the female is not ; I doubt if one man 

 in a hundred knows the female bird to be a scarlet taniger. 

 The male knows it, and naturalists know it, by the peculiar 

 characteristics of its structure. Its color is a dull vellow, 

 entirely different from that of the male. We find this difference 

 running through our birds — a certain color for the female and 

 another and distinct color for the male ; and Darwin, — (Pro- 

 fessor Agassiz told us how much we are indebted to him for his 

 development theories, and we are ; he has presented a wonderful 

 number of facts, which will be used to meet him) — Darwin says 

 that the turtle's color usually comes from the female, and that 

 cats with blue eyes are always deaf. He cannot account for it, 

 but says it is so. So when we find a particular color, we shall be 

 able by and by to discover that it is connected with some other 

 characteristic of the animal ; and I have been very much inter- 

 ested in reading the report of Professor Agassiz's lectures, in 

 reference to the change of color of parrots by peculiar feeding. 

 It struck me as a very remarkable thing ; and something has 

 occurred this fall which is entirely new to me, and the moment 

 I read the Professor's lectures I began to study this fact. It is 

 this. The squirrels have been abundant, as everybody has 

 noticed ; but everybody has not noticed that there have been a 

 great number of red squirrels with perfectly white tails — just 

 as white as milk. One was caught and brought to me. I sup- 

 posed it was a mere exception, but I found that they were very 

 numerous all up through A r ermont. The children of Dr. 



