THE BIRTH OF A HYBRID. 



In a note on Telegony,* published in 1895 in The 

 Veterinarian, 1 suggested a number of experiments whicli 

 might be made with a view to settling, if possible, whether 

 a previous sire has any influence on subsequent progeny 

 obtained by other sires. At the same time I mentioned 

 that I was making arrangements to carry out three of the 

 experiments suggested, viz. (1) To cross a number of 

 mares with a male Burchell's zebra, and then mate them 

 with an Arab or other suitable horse. (2) To cross a 

 zebra mare with an Arab horse, and then mate her with a 

 zebra. (3) To cross an ass {Equus asinus) with a zebra 

 horse, and then mate her with a jackass. 



Having begun in 1894 to make arrangements for the 

 telegony and other investigations, I was in a position early 

 in 1895 to begin operations, — that is to say, I had secured 

 a large area of grass land and a small paddock, pro- 

 vided accommodation for and purchased three Burchell's 

 zebras (a horse and two mares), an Arab horse, and a 

 number of mares, including a thoroughbred filly by 

 '^Petrarch," a mare by ''Gunboat,'" and mares from 

 Ireland, Iceland, Shetland, and Norway. Further, Mr. 

 Wilfrid S. Blunt, on hearing of the proposed experiments 

 through the late Professor Groodhart, was generous enough 

 to send me an Arab mare {" Bernabit ") ; and Lord 

 Arthur Cecil, whom I had the good fortune to interest in 

 my work, lent me " Mulatto," one of his Island of Rum 

 ponies, and later added to my stud a young New Forest 

 donkey. 



It is hardly necessary to point out that even should the 



experiments in hand settle, or at least throw new light on 



the question of telegony, final results are not likely to be 



gained until several years have elapsed. However, as the 



* Appendix. 



