48 



The Journal of Heredity 



BELLY OF SIX-NIPPLED EWE. 



In order to counteract the evi! results of inbreeding, Dr. Bell has made it a habit to purchase 

 all the multi-nipplcd sheep which he could find among his neighbors on Cape Rreton Island. 

 The photograph shows a ewe with six nipples, a natural "sport" which was found in a 

 farmer's flock and added to the Beinn Bhreagh flock. (Figure 1.) 



ewe is in failing condition, slowly losing 

 weight from day to day." 



As careful record was kept of the 

 matings, and the births of lambs, this 

 record was then compared with the 

 weights of the ewes, at various times 

 during the period of gestation. Dr. 

 Bell's conclusion was that: 



WHEN TWINS ARE BORN. 



"Three conditions favorable to the 

 productions of twins revealed them- 

 selves : — 



1. Maturity in the Ewes — (Ewes four, 



five and six years old yielding a 

 larger percentage of twins than 

 younger or older ewes) ; 



2. Mating in October — (With con- 



sequent lambing in March) ; and 



3. A rapid increase oj weight at the 



time of mating with subsequent 

 loss of weight. 



"The third condition seemed to be 

 eminently suscejjtible of control; and 

 in the autumn of 1899, the attempt was 



made to influence the weight by special 

 feeding. 



"Beginning in the latter part of 

 September, 1899, each ewe was given 

 a feed of oats twice a day in addition 

 to the grass picked up on the pasture. 

 After mating had been accomplished 

 the extra feed was discontinued. 



"It w^as expected that imdcr this 

 treatment the ewes generally would 

 gain abnormally in weight up to the 

 {period of mating, after which the 

 weight would gradually fall (on account 

 of the discontinuance of the extra food) 

 until the normal weight had been 

 reached due to the natural condition 

 of the pasture. The wcighl-curve 

 characlcristic of the twin-bearing ewes 

 might thus perhaps be simulated; and 

 the query arose: — Would the pro- 

 duction of twins be increased? 



"The whole flock was subjected to 

 the experiment during the month of 

 October, 1899, after which the extra 

 feeding was discontinued with all. The 

 experiment therefore was only complete 



