234 AMERICAN CATTLE. 



and a small spot of white only, on the forehead. The foal which 

 was the produce of this connection, very exactly resembled the 

 gelding in color and in shape, and very remarkably in the shape 

 of the hind legs, as above described.* 



"The striking feature of this case, besides the circumstance 

 that there could have been no sexual connection between the 

 mare arid the gelding, is, that the resemblance of the foal to the 

 gelding was at once general, and yet extended to a marked pecu- 

 liarity of conformation; thus identifying the resemblance with 

 something having a relation to that particular horse. This rela- 

 tion could be no other than a mental one, on the part of the 

 mother, arising out of her association with the horse. But had 

 this horse been a stallion, and had he previously had fruitful 

 intercourse with the mare, the resemblance might very fairly 

 have been attributed to something material connected therewith. 



"It is clearly important, then, in regard to the proper subject 

 of this essay, to guard against a fallacy of this kind." 



""It appears that many breeders of stock are impressed with 

 the belief, that certain colors present to the eye of the parent 

 animals, and particularly of the female, at the time and in the act 

 of their being coupled together, and to the eye of the female, 

 both before and during her pregnancy, influence the color of the 

 progeny; and that they make this belief a practical principle of 

 action in the breeding of their stock, in order either to prevent 

 or to secure the admixture of any particular color in the offspring, 

 different from that of the parent animals. 'We know,' says an 

 anonymous writer, 'a great breeder of pure Angus stock (black 

 polled breed,) who makes it a rule to have every animal about 

 his farm of a black color, down to the very poultry.' And an 



"* Communicated to the author by Dr. John B. Trail, of Monymusk, Aberdeen- 

 shire. 'Prom the description I have attempted to give you, (Dr. Trail writes me,) 

 you conld not form any very distinct idea of the peculiar conformation of the geld- 

 ing ; but the resemblance of the foal to him was remarkably clear.' " 



