98 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



Studs will proceed to investigate the Mendelian 

 transmission of other qualities, such as nerve 

 strength, staying power, and capacity for speed. 

 One problem already awaits investigation either by 

 the Prussian Government or by English private 

 breeders. It is the question of " nervousness " in 

 horses. There is current in racing circles a belief 

 that much inbreeding results in " nervousness." We 

 believe it may be possible to closely inbreed and 

 yet by judicious matings, based upon Mendelian 

 principles, to rear horses that are not "nervous." 

 We cannot say dogmatically it will be so. There is 

 apparently very little data available, and the ques- 

 tion is one of careful scrutiny of such facts as we 

 already possess and of future observation, definitely 

 directed to the particular question. But there is no 

 real reason to doubt that it is possible to interbreed 

 and yet to avoid, by an early elimination, any 

 undesirable character that may have made its 

 appearance. But in this matter, as in others, 

 an ounce of experiment is worth a ton of 

 essay-writing. 



" Pontoon," from the Mendelian standpoint, is 

 an interesting horse. So far as Mendelian investiga- 

 tions have gone, we know that chestnut is reces- 

 sive to bay, brown, and black. Any horse of 

 these latter colours may therefore carry chestnut 

 recessive. But a point which has not yet been 

 investigated in horses is the relationship of these 

 colours to each other in reference to their relative 

 dominance. We do not know whether brown is 



