IxXVi GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 



first been quite as vigorous and liealtliy as the zebra 

 stallion Matopo. 



In the hybrid Remus, Biddy's first foal, the stripes are 

 dark brown, the body colour a rich somewhat light bay. 

 Although well striped he takes after the dam about as 

 much as after the sire^ and hence is a striking contrast to 

 Lord Morton's feebly marked quagga hybrid. In every 

 respect I consider the bay Irish mare an excellent subject 

 for testing the telegony hypothesis. 



Biddy's second foal is by a thoroughbred chestnut 

 horse (Tupgill) with a frontal star. As generally happens 

 when bays and chestnuts are crossed, the foal is bay in 

 colour. As in the dam, there are black points, and, like 

 the sire, a star on the forehead. At birth the second 

 foal was 35| inches at the withers ; Remus was an inch 

 smaller — at five months 48 inches, against 44| for Remus. 

 At five months the mane was lying to both sides, in 

 Remus the mane has from the first been upright. In the 

 ears, tail, chestnuts, hoofs, and in every other respect, the 

 second foal, at the age of six months, agreed with pure- 

 bred foals, i. e. it in no way suggested either a zebra or a 

 zebra hybrid. But during the first three months there 

 wei'e indications of stripes in the region of the withers, 

 on the sides, and across the croup and hind quarters. 

 These indications were mainly produced by a wavy condi- 

 tion of the hail', but in some lights several of the bands 

 across the croup seemed to differ slightly in colour from 

 the intermediate spaces. During the fourth month all 

 the indications of stripes practically disappeared, and I 

 anticipate that when the winter coat is shed next spring 

 the second foal will be quite devoid of stripes and all 

 other suggestions of zebras or zebra hybrids. 



I may here repeat that, during the present year, I 

 have seen similar indications of stripes over the croup of 

 quite a number of foals. To begin with, in highly bred 

 foals with very fine coats there ai-e often at birth across 

 the sides and croup, and especially in the vicinity of the 

 flank feather, narrow markings that might be mistaken 

 for stripes. These markings, as explained in the thii-d 



