GENERAL INTRODUCTION. XCl 



is beautifully formed, and has tlie appearance of a pony 

 foal with very small ears. The mother is about twelve 

 years old, and stands llf hands, and is a very typical 

 Indian transport mule.'' 



After referring to a number of doubtful cases of fertile 

 mules, he adds : 



'' In the present case, however, there can be no doubt 

 about the genuineness. The foal was dropped at mid-, 

 night, and was seen the next morning by lai-ge crowds, 

 including the Prime Minister, a Sikh gentleman of the 

 highest respectability."* 



Every breeder knows that mules and young virgin 

 mares occasionally give milk, and also that foals are at 

 times enticed away from their mothers. Mr. Gunn may 

 have assured himself that the " beautifully formed " foal 

 with " very small ears " has not been stolen by the mule 

 in question from a pony mare. Unfortunately this pos- 

 sibility is not referred to in his letter. Although my 

 experience is but limited, I have had an instance of a 

 foal being stolen by one mare from another, and also an 

 instance of a mare leaving her foal to take care of itself 

 immediately after it was born. Mr. Gunn, or his com- 

 panion Veterinary Captain Joslen, of the Lahore Vete- 

 rinary College, may be able to clear away all doubts ; and 

 better still, the mule and foal may ere this have found 

 their way to one of the Government stud farms, where steps 

 will be taken to give the mule a chance of again breeding, 

 and where later the fertility of the foal will be tested. 



Mr. Tegetmeier having long taken an interest in the 

 subject under consideration, it may be well to indicate 

 what he said on the subject about a year ago. In the 

 Field oi October 23rd, 1897, he writes, ''I have long held 

 the opinion that the ordinary equine mule of both sexes 

 is sterile. This, as is stated in the work on ' Horses 

 and Mule Breeding ' by Mr. Sutherland and myself, has 

 been founded on the great experience of M. Ayrault, and 

 the belief has been traced by us to the phenomena of 

 induced lactation in the mule mares, many of which have 

 * The Field, September 17tli, 1898. 



