BIRTH-MARKS AND TELEGONY 399 



anyone undertaken a statistical examination with the 

 view of showing that the vague agreement of the mark 

 with the arresting object seen by the mother is anything 

 more than an accidental coincidence, nor (in regard to 

 many such stories) has it been proved that the mother 

 really did see or notice any such terrifying object as she 

 afterwards declares (and possibly thinks) she did. More- 

 over, no one has carefully and scientifically made crucial 

 experiments with animals, similar to that of the patriarch 

 Jacob. The experiments and their record would not 

 be difficult with animals. Though some farmers may 

 believe that such influences do operate on their breeding 

 dams, there is no known or recognized application of 

 Jacob's method to the production of desired form or 

 colour in domesticated animals. We are not concerned 

 with " possibilities." What is needed is a series of 

 demonstrative experiments, or critical cases. And these 

 are, as yet, not forthcoming. 



Telegony is the name given to the hypothesis that the 

 offspring of a known sire sometimes inherit characters 

 from a previous mate of their dam. The name means 

 reproduction (Greek, gonos) influenced by a remote agent 

 (Greek, tele = from afar). There is no question about 

 " possibility " here. Such an " infection " of a dam by a 

 previous mate is not improbable. According to Darwin 

 " farmers in South Brazil are convinced that mares which 

 have once borne mules, when subsequently put to horses, 

 are extremely liable to produce colts striped like a mule." 

 On the other hand, the Baron de Parana states that he 

 has many relatives and friends who have large establish- 

 ments for the rearing of mules where they obtain from 

 400 to 1000 mules in a year. In all these establish- 

 ments, after two or three crossings of the mare and ass, 

 the breeders cause the mare to be put to a horse ; yet 



