1^93* account of the fat rumyeifhee-p, 197 



Deformity, and even a preternatural number ojf 

 horns in Iheep, and other animals, the doctor evident- 

 ly fhows, by numerous examples, highly curious, 

 may be likewise traasmitted by propagution j but 

 they are much too voluminous for this paper. How- 

 ever his important conclusions from the whcl^ of 



had several litters of kittens, and it has invariably happened that 

 some individuals of every litter have been without tails ; sometimes 

 nearly one half, while the others have had tails. It remains to be 

 tried, if a male and female of those taillefs cats, would invariably 

 produce taillefs cats, as a hornlefs cow and bull produce hornlefs 

 calves. This cat is still in life. 



A more singular instance of an accidental blemifh becoming in 

 some degree hereditary, occurred with regard to a bitch belonging to 

 a merchant in Leith now alive. The bitch had one eye knocitedout ; 

 a considerable time after which, Ihe had a litter of puppies, one of 

 which had the eye on that side of the head which was blind in the 

 mother, blind also, in every respect resembling that of the mother. 



Another gentleman of my acquaintance has a breed oi rabbits, ha« 

 ving only one ear ; which must probably have been at first only an 

 accidental deficiency. I have also seen a breed of fowls without a tail, 

 that has probably had a similar origin. 



Let me add to these instances among brute animals, another some- 

 what of a similar nature in the human species. The writer of this ar- 

 ticle was, when young, endowed with a very acute sight ; and in par- 

 ticular could see objects at a greater distance than ■ most persons 

 he met with ; but when he v.as between twenty and thirty years of 

 age, in consequence of some internal disorder, of which neither he nor 

 his physicians could give any account, his eyes became tender, and 

 he lost his eye sight in part by degrees, so that he thought he was in 

 danger of going entirely blind. He never suspected that he was be- 

 come fliort sighted, till an accidental circumstance discovered it. 

 This was, to hira, a great discovery indeed : for having fitted himself 

 with concave glafses, he now sees at a distance as well as ever, and 

 poCsffses without tlicm, the usual perfection of vision as to near objects. 

 Now, though no one of his prcdecefsors, or those of his children on 

 the mother's side, were known to be fliort sighted, it chances that 

 Mveral of his children have the same defect of vision, and are obliged 

 to use concave glafses to view distant objects. Edit., 



