The Journal of Heredity 



in addition to their regular worker 

 food, and in this way are produced in- 

 termediate types resembHng the bum- 

 ble-bees in being capable of both work 

 and reproduction, but probably of 



each to a lesser extent than the normal 

 queen or worker. High specialization 

 including differentiation of worker from 

 queen has made for greater efficiency 

 in the honey-bee colony. 



AN HEREDITARY NOTCH IN 



THE EARS OF JERSEY 



CATTLE 



Superficial Appearance of This Character Would Appear 

 to Fit Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characters 



Jay L. Lush 

 Texas Agricultural Experiment Station 



THE principal Jersey sire of the 

 dairy herd at the Texas A. & M. 

 College, Gamboge's Raleigh 

 109548, is characterized by a peculiarly 

 shaped ear which he has transmitted to 

 a large number of his calves. The 

 author's attention was called to this 

 upon his arrival at the Texas Experi- 

 ment Station last September, and 

 through the co-operation of Prof. 

 R. L. Pou, head of the Dairy Depart- 

 ment and W. L. Pou, dairy herdsman, 

 it has been possible to make a tentative 

 analysis of the genetic situation. 



The case is particularly interesting in 

 that the oddness of the ear shape con- 

 sists of a notch on the lower edge of the 

 ear which is very similar to a mark 

 commonly used on the range for identi- 

 fication, the so-called "undersloped" or 

 "underbit" ear. Hence many a casual 

 visitor would assume that the bull's 

 ears were artificially "undersloped," 

 and the fact that his calves are born 



with "undersloped" ears would ap- 

 parently constitute proof that an 

 acquired character is being inherited. 

 The origin of the mark could not be 

 learned, for this bull is now over nine 

 years old and was bought as a suckling 

 calf by C. S. Gainer, Bryan, Texas. 

 Mr. Gainer noticed the mark distinctly 

 at the time and there then seemed to be 

 no sign of a scar. A letter addressed 

 to The White Horse Farms, Paoli, 

 Pennsylvania, breeders of this bull, did 

 not receive a reply and it is not known 

 whether his sire or dam had this mark. 

 Therefore, it is necessary to start with 

 this bull in studying the situation, 

 since knowledge of the notch begins 

 with him. 



Only one other case similar to this 

 has been found. The Jeisey bull, 

 "Fern's Texas Lad" 96298, which was 

 owned at one time by J. F. Houchins, 

 Hallettsville, Texas, "had both of his 

 ears marked with an underslope and 



l^'W^-s,^ 



DIAGRAM SHOWING THE POSITION OF THE HEREDITARY NOTCH 



On the left is shown the shape and position of the notch in the "underbit" ear, used as a mark 

 by stockmen. The other two figures show the extreme variations in the size of the hereditary 

 notch. (Fig. 4.) 



^ Paper No. 1, in Animal Genetics, from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, 



