HEREr3ITY AND SEX 121 



experiments, the malformations, deformities, and signs of deteriora- 

 tion induced, reappeared in the next generation, but speaking 

 generally the organs affected were the most delicate parts or the 

 parts that require the most perfect adjustments in their develop- 

 ment., such as the eye (Morgan). Moreover, it is possible that 

 some of the facts are to be accounted for on the supposition that 

 the chromosomes of the germ cells had been directly injured 

 and, consequently, altered in their capacity for hereditary 

 transmission. 



Telego:ny and Saturation 



It is still commonly believed by many stock-breeders that a 

 female may be permanently infected through intercourse with a 

 male, so that the latter can impress some of his characters, not 

 only upon his own immediate offspring, but upon subsequent 

 offspring produced by the female as a result of union with another 

 male. Such a phenomenon is called " Telegony " or " Infection." 

 The classic case, and one in which Darwin believed, was that of 

 Lord Morton's Arab mare. This animal was first mated with a 

 quagga and produced striped hybrid offspring, and subsequently 

 on two occasions the mare was mated with an Arab stallion, and 

 both the resulting foals had stripes on the forelegs and back. 

 It was supposed that the striping in these foals somehow resulted 

 from the original mating with the quagga. It has been shown, 

 however, that the presence of stripes is a common phenomenon 

 among several breeds of horses, including Arabs, and that it is 

 specially prone to occur among cross-bred horses, which in this 

 respect may be supposed to have reverted to an ancestral con- 

 dition. Moreover, numerous experiments, not only with horses 

 (the quagga experiment having been repeated with a Burchell's 

 zebra and various breeds of mares), but also with dogs, fowls, 

 and other animals, have uniformly failed to show any evidence 

 of telegonic influence (Ewart). Again, none of the cases in which 

 telegony has been supposed to occur have stood the test of 

 scientific examination. It may be pointed out, further, that 

 were the telegony hypothesis correct it would involve the inheri- 

 tance of acquired characters, since the only way in which the 

 characters of a previous sire could be transmitted to subsequent 

 offspring, would seem to be through the body of the mother, 



