INHERITANCE OF VARIATES IN THE ARMADILLO 175 



inheritance is predominantly paternal. Probably another lot of 

 20 sets would show either a more even balance between the mater- 

 nal and paternal tendencies or a dominance of the maternal char- 

 acteristics. It need scarcely be reiterated that such a condition 

 as this favors the idea that inheritance is largely of the alternative 

 rather than of the blended type. 



3. A SURVEY OF INDIVIDUAL SETS 



Reference to table 5, A and B, will show that there are sets of 

 quadruplets in which the maternal influence is predominant, or 

 at least evident, in all of the five shields. Set C 23, for instance, 

 shows in the cephalic shield an admixture of maternal and pater- 

 nal tendencies, fetuses III and IV being maternal and the others 

 paternal ; the scapular, banded and pelvic shields show dominance 

 of the mother in all four fetuses ; and the caudal shield shows the 

 same two fetuses maternal that are maternal for the cephalic 

 shield while the others are presumably paternal. Fetuses III 

 and IV show a dominant maternal influence in all five shields, 

 while fetuses I and II are maternal in three out of five shields. 

 The grand total of the mother for the five shields is 2897, while 

 that of the four fetuses averages 2904, a difference of only 7 

 scutes. On the whole then the paternal influence must have 

 been very slight indeed. 



In set C 15 is seen a somewhat similar state of affairs. In the 

 cephalic shield I is maternal, in the scapular shield, banded region 

 and pelvic shield all fetuses are maternal, while in the caudal 

 shield all are paternal, or at least not strongly maternal. Yet 

 the grand total of the mother, 3019, is identical with the average 

 grand total of the four offspring. 



As examples of sets in which the maternal influence is largely or 

 wholly recessive we may cite sets C 28, C 47 and C 81. In these 

 sets none of the five shields shows scute counts at all closely 

 similar to those of the mother and are presumably pure paternal. 

 Then there are several sets in which there is a fairly equal distribu- 

 tion between the two parents as to their dominance over the differ- 

 ent shields. Such sets are C 21 and C 92 in which two shields 

 are maternal and three paternal. 



