18 ( J0.1 Transplantation and Growth of Mammalian Ova. 457 



distribution of individual varieties of the same patterns about their 

 respective typical centres was precisely analogous in its form, say, to 

 that of the Shrimps about theirs, as described in a recent memoir by 

 Mr. Weldon (' Roy. Soc. Proc.,' No. 291, p. 445). It was argued from 

 this, that natural selection has no monopoly of influence either in 

 creating genera or in maintaining their purity. 



III. " Preliminary Note on the Transplantation and Growth of 

 Mammalian Ova within a Uterine Foster-Mother." By 

 WALTER HEAPE, M.A., Balfour Student at the University of 

 Cambridge. Communicated by Professor M. FOSTER, 

 Sec. R.S. Received November 12, 1890. 



In this preliminary note I wish merely to record an experiment by 

 which it is shown that it is possible to make use of the uterus of 

 one variety of rabbit as a medium for the growth and complete foatal 

 development of fertilised ova of another variety of rabbit. 



Briefly, the experiment made was as follows : On the 27th April, 

 189L>, two ova were obtained from an Angora doe rabbit which had 

 been fertilised by an Angora buck thirty-two hours previously ; the 

 ova were undergoing segmentation, being divided into four segments. 



These ova were immediately transferred into the upper end of the 

 fallopian tube of a Belgian hare doe rabbit which had been fertilised 

 three hours before by a buck of the same breed as herself. 



It may be well to mention here, I bought this Belgian hare doe 

 some three months before ; the man from whom I bought her bred her, 

 and guaranteed her to be a virgin doe of about seven months old. 

 During the time I had her, until the 27th April, she had never been 

 covered by a buck of any breed, being kept always isolated from the 

 various bucks in my rabbitry. 



In due course this Belgian hare doe gave birth to six young four 

 of these resembled herself and her mate, while two of them were 

 undoubted Angoras. The Angora young were characterised by the 

 possession of the long silky hair peculiar to the breed, and were true 

 albiuoes, like their Angora parents. 



As a proof of their parentage, I would add they inherit a habit 

 which nearly all the Angoras I have kept affect it was marked in 

 their Angora mother and especially pronounced in their father a 

 habit of slowly swaying their head from side to side as they look at 

 you. I mention this fnct because I have never observed the same 

 habit in any breed of rabbits except Angora. 



It should be remembered also as a further proof that I put into the 

 Belgian hare doe two fertilised ova from the Angora doe, and that twv 

 Angora young were borne by the former. 



