Lush: A Notch in Ears of Jersey Cattle 



GAMBOGE'S RALEIGH, WHOSE NOTCHED EARS ARE INHERITED BY HIS 



DESCENDANTS 



The similarity of this notch to that in the artificially "underbit" ear would lead the layman to 

 conclude that an acquired characteristic had been inherited. (Fig. 5.) 



rounded crop,- and many of his get 

 (but less than half of them) had this 

 mark." 



When viewed from the front the ears 

 of Gamboge's Raleigh appear to have 

 had a piece clipped neatly out of them. 

 The outer end of the notch merges 

 rather gradually into the natural curve 

 of the ear, while the other end of the 

 notch makes an acute angle with the 

 ear's lower edge, leaving a sharp 

 corner projecting downward and out- 

 ward as shown in Figures 4-7. Close 

 examination rev^eals the fact that this 

 projection is really doubled in both 

 ears, although more distinctly in the 

 left than in the right. The doubling 

 occurs as a front and a rear projection, 

 and the groove between them is about 

 a half inch deep in the case of the left 

 ear and about a quarter inch deep in 

 the case of the right. Some evidence 



^ The expression "rounded crop" means to the stockman that the outer end of the ear has 

 been cut off leaving it less pointed than is normal. 



of this doubling is visible in the pic- 

 tures. 



Were it not for the fact that so many 

 of his offspring possess this notch, the 

 condition could be regarded as an 

 accident of development. It might be 

 due either to a sporadic attempt at 

 doubling of the ear or to a blocking of 

 the blood vessel which would have sup- 

 plied the missing portion of the ear 

 during early embryonic life. Possibly 

 this is the mechanism by which the 

 hereditary factors act to bring about 

 such a result, but there can be no 

 doubt that this result is due to definite 

 hereditary factors and not to mere pre- 

 natal accidents. 



NOT SEX-LINKED 



Thirty of the calves of Gamboge's 

 Raleigh were examined personally by 

 the writer and twelve were found to 



