62 TELEGONY AND REVERSION. 



who are as yet unaware that previous matings do un- 

 doubtedly in many cases exercise an influence on all the 

 subsequent stock of a mare or other female animal. Now 

 I should never have expected to find anyone disputing this 

 undoubted fact, and the only question appeared to be 

 whether the old theory, which ascribed it to the imagina- 

 tion of the mother or some equally unsatisfactory cause, 

 should not be replaced by the infinitely more sensible doc- 

 trine of saturation, which is thus defined by Mr. Bruce 

 Lowe : — ' Briefly put, it means that with each mating and 

 bearing the dam absorbs some of the nature or actual 

 circulation of the yet unborn foal, until she eventually 

 becomes saturated with the sire's nature or blood as the 

 case may be.'^ ... I confess that this theory has always 

 appeared to me as a most reasonable one. As to the fact 

 of sire influence which it professes to explain, I may 

 inform correspondents who are in any doubt about it that 

 it would not be difficult to furnish them with hundreds 

 or even thousands of instances/'t In a subsequent letter 

 (January 22nd) the " Special Commissioner " says, " I 

 should as soon have expected anyone to boldly contend 

 that the earth is not round ... as to deny the existence 

 of this influence," i. e. of the influence of the previous sire. 

 Another writer in the same paper says, "It is perfectly 

 surprising that anyone should doubt that saturation is an 

 important part of the theory of breeding. There would be 

 little difficulty in showing that it is not only a fact, but a 

 proven and most important factor." This writer tells us 

 an experienced veterinary surgeon, who also raced, often 

 said to him, " It is of the greatest importance to mate your 

 mare the first time with a good horse ; she will always 

 throw a bit towards him. "J Similar advice would be 

 given by the majority of veterinary surgeons if they hold 

 with the view that emanated some years ago from the 

 Principal of the Bombay Veterinary College. In an inte- 



* Bruce Lowe, ' Breeding ou the Figure System.' 

 t The Sportsman, January 3rd, 1896. 

 X Ibid., January 17tli, 1S96. 



