MODIFICATION OF THE GERM-CELLS IN MAMMALS 203 



sents. There is little difference between the birth weights of 

 normal and alcoholic animals born in litters of two, three or four. 



When one month old the middle group of triangles represent- 

 ing by their position the weights in grams again show the largest 

 differences between alcoholic and normal animals in litters of 

 one, the short triangle, and litters of five, the long triangle. The 

 normal animals in litters of one have passed the 300-gram line 

 in weight, while the average alcoholic member of a litter of five 

 weighs only 169 grams. Members of the two series in litters of 

 two, three, or four do not show very great weight differences. 



The top triangle shows a very large difference in weight at 

 three months between normal and alcoholic animals born one in 

 a litter. The triangles for two and three in a litter animals are 

 almost flat at three months, indicating very little difference be- 

 tween such normal and alcoholic animals. Alcoholic members 

 of litters of four are somewhat smaller in average than normal, 

 while alcoholic from litters of five are far below the normal in 

 weight as the long triangle shows at three months. 



We have here an example of the influence of the alcohol effect 

 combined with the action of a normal condition, the condition 

 being the size of the litter in which the animal is born. From a 

 consideration of the diagram we may, therefore, conclude, first, 

 that normal-stock animals born one in a litter are so strong as to 

 run far ahead of the one in a litter alcoholic animals, although 

 the latter at birth, at one month, and at three months are much 

 heavier than all normal animals born in larger litters at similar 

 periods. Consequently, the advantage of developing alone in 

 the uterus is sufficient, so far as birth weight and rate of growth 

 are concerned, to overcome the disadvantages resulting from 

 alcoholic ancestry to such a degree that these individuals are 

 better than control animals developing in larger litters. Yet in 

 birth weight and growth rate these singly born alcoholic animals 

 are further behind the singly born control than are the alco- 

 holics from any other size litters behind the control from the 

 same size litters. Thus, although being born alone tends to 

 overshadow the alcohol effect, nevertheless the effect is still 

 shown by comparison with control specimens born alone. 



