XC GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 



sometimes in the West. Why it should alwaj's occur in 

 some out-of-the-way district is hard to explain. The last 

 account of a female mule having a foal comes from 

 India. The writer^ Veterinary Captain W. D. Gunn, seems 

 to have satisfied himself that the mule is the real mother 

 of the foal in question, and not merely a foster-mother. 

 Mr. Gunn being a trusted and able member of his pro- 

 fession, we may perhaps assume that he has come across 

 an undoubted instance of a fertile mule. Unfortunately, 

 though he may have satisfied himself, he can hardly be 

 said to have satisfied the readers of the Field. But it 

 will be well to allow Mr. Gunn to speak for himself; he 

 says, " A most unusual event occurred in the Kapurthala 

 State, India; indeed, it seems to be the only case on 

 record. A mule, belonging to a potter in the above 

 state, gave birth to a male foal on the day after its return 

 from the Tirah Field Force. Parturition occurred on 

 August 6th during the night, and on information being 

 given to the Prime Minister of the state, Sirdar Bhagat 

 Singh, C.I.E., he at once went to see it early the follow- 

 ing morning. The greatest excitement has been caused 

 in the town of Kapurthala by this extraordinary occur- 

 rence, and the pundits are all at a loss to know what to 

 think about it. They say that such an event has never 

 been known before, and the Hindu shastras say that 

 whenever a mule becomes pregnant it must die before 

 giving birth to the young. Large crowds go daily to see 

 the mother and foal, and the pundits are consulting the 

 stars and shastras as to what is portended by the event. 



" When Sirdar Bhagat Singh saw that the mule had 

 really dropped a foal he at once communicated with the 

 Civil Veterinary Department, find after making further 

 inquiries I pi'oceeded to the Kapurthala State and took 

 the photographs which I send you by this post. Vete- 

 rinary Captain Joslen, officiating principal of the Lahore 

 Veterinary College, accompanied, and he will vouch for 

 the correctness of these statements. The mule must 

 have been covered by a pony while proceeding with the 

 transport to the frontier war. As Avill be seen, the foal 



