ACQUIRED AND ABNORMAL CHARACTERS. 57 



In addition to these peculiarities, a cartilaginous pro- 

 jection on the back of the ear is inherited. The pa- 

 ternity of an illegitimate child, in one instance, was 

 traced to this family, from its inheritance of the pecu- 

 liarities above-mentioned. 



Dr. Anderson says a gentleman of his acquaintance 

 " chanced to find a rabbit among his breed that had 

 only one ear ; he watched the progeny of that creature, 

 and among these he found one of the opposite sex that 

 had only one ear also ; he paired these two one-eared 

 rabbits together, and has now a breed of rabbits with 

 one ear only, which propagate as fast, and as steadily 

 produce their like, as the two-eared rabbits from which 

 they originally were descended." 1 



The same author gives the case of a bitch that was 

 born with only three legs. " She has had several lit- 

 ters of puppies, and among these several individuals 

 were produced that had the same defect with herself." 2 



He also states that " a cat belonging to Dr. Coven- 

 try, of Edinburgh, which had no blemish at its birth, 

 lost its tail by accident when it was young. 



" It has had many litters of kittens, and in every 

 one of these there was one or more of the litter that 

 wanted the tail, either in whole or in part." 3 



" Blumenbach affirms that ' a man whose little- 

 finger of the right hand had been nearly demolished 

 and set awry had several sons, all of whom had the 

 little fingers of the right hand crooked.' " * 



1 " Recreations in Agriculture," vol. i., p. 68. 



2 Loc. tit., p. 68. 3 Ibid., p. 69. 



4 As quoted in the British and Foreign Medico- Chirurgical Review^ 

 April, 1863, p. 462. 



