WIDESPREAD BELIEF EY ITS OCCURRENCE 157 



ently known as Lord Morton's experiment has proved ' infection 

 of the germ ' to at least occasionally take place " (Ewart, 1899, 



P- 57)- 



It is psychologically interesting, therefore, to ask for some 



explanation of the widespread belief in the occurrence of a 

 phenomenon the scientific evidence of which seems so slender. 

 There is no doubt, we are told, that the value of a pure-bred bitch 

 at once goes down if she has been accidentally lined by a mongrel, 

 and it is possible that there may be good reason for this apart 

 from the fact that the episode is not one which figures well in the 

 record. It is possible that the constitution of the bitch may be 

 subtly affected by a crossing — especially a fertile crossing — ^with 

 a dog of inferior strain ; and that the deteriorated constitution 

 may react upon future offspring although real telegony does not 

 ensue. 



One must remember, however, that the statements one hears 

 are often fairly precise. " If a pointer bitch gets accidentally 

 served by a coUie dog and produces a htter, the pups will be of 

 various types, some like the pointer, some like the collie, and 

 some a blend. And let that pointer bitch be afterwards served 

 by a pure pointer dog, the result will be a litter among which the 

 collie type can be unmistakably observed." It is desirable that 

 some effort should be made to secure absolutely definite state- 

 ments, supplemented by photographs. 



It is hardly sufficient to remind ourselves that people are 

 indescribably careless about their beliefs, and that breeders are 

 notoriously superstitious ; for considerations of money value 

 have a potent effect in evolving carefulness, and breeding is 

 gradually becoming an art based on scientific conclusions. There 

 must be some basis for the widespread belief, and the answer 

 given by the practical men themselves is that they have had 

 abundant experience of the occurrence of telegony. This asser- 

 tion leads us to look for phenomena which might be readily 

 mistaken as telegonic, and there can be little doubt that Prof. 



