FIRST IMPREGNATION. 49 



of another breed, having in the first litter pups which resembled 

 some of them the mother and some the father, in a second 

 litter, by a dog of another breed, had pups not only like the 

 moth^, and like the second father, but like the first father too. 

 Here, then, you see again the unquestionable influence. I do 

 not say that I do not know of a large number of cases where the 

 influence of the first male is not perceived in the subsequent 

 oflspring, and it may often not be perceived at all, because of 

 the great resemblance of the second father to the first ; but 

 whether or not the cases are more numerous than I am aware 

 of where no effect at all is felt, it cannot be denied that there 

 are cases where the effect is unmistakable ; and supposing that 

 only ten per cent, of animals receive by their first connection an 

 influence which is felt in the following offspring, would it not 

 be well to save a valuable animal from the possibility of being 

 subjected to a bad influence, to be carried through life, by 

 securing for the first male an animal which should, at all events, 

 not contaminate the female, and bring in the possibility of 

 bad offspring, in consequence of that unquestionable influence 

 which the first male has, possibly, not necessarily, on future 

 production ? 



Mr. Meriam. The dog is the most uncertain of all animals 

 to experiment with. I could state probably twenty experiments 

 in my own experience as a breeder, covering over forty years, 

 as closely observing as I am capable of, where no such influence 

 was perceived. But speaking of mules, one evening I was 

 present where this subject was discussed, and one gentleman, 

 from Kentucky, distinguished for his scientific attainments, and 

 a close observer, said he did not believe anything in it. " In 

 our neighborhood," said he, " we put our young mares to jacks. 

 When they get more mature, we then breed them to our 

 thoroughbred horses, and out of a lai'ge number of horses bred 

 from mares which for their first foal had had a mule, I have 

 never seen a trace, in the hair, the form of head, or anything, 

 of the donkey." Now, no amount of general reasoning, no 

 amount of theorizing, would shake the result of my experiments 

 a particle. I do not believe there is anything in it. The doc- 

 trine is, that impregnated once is impregnated forever ; that the 

 influence of the first impregnation extends down through future 

 offspring. I have tried that on fowls of different kinds, and 

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