GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 79 



speckled and spotted,' 7 I have been on the look- 

 out for evidence bearing upon the old patri- 

 arch's theory. 



The result of these observations has been to 

 confirm me in the belief that while color, as 

 well as all other peculiarities, usually follows 

 the ordinary laws of heredity, it is nevertheless 

 true that strong mental impressions do some- 

 times set aside the ordinary laws of Nature and 

 produce surprising results. One very clearly- 

 defined case came under my observation w r hen 

 a lad on my father's farm. A flock of sheep 

 had been bred on this farm, without any in- 

 fusion of fresh blood, for many years. Not a 

 black sheep, nor one with a black spot or mot- 

 tled face, had ever been known among them. 

 On one occasion, after most of the ewes had 

 been bred, a black ram was turned into a small 

 lot with them. Had a strange dog, a wolf, or 

 any other wild animal, been suddenly let down 

 among them they could not have been more 

 terribly frightened. They circled round and 

 round the lot, and made the most frantic efforts 

 to escape from the supposed monster, while he 

 kept turning round and round in the center of 

 the circle, in vain trying to approach the ewes, 

 that seemed almost ready to die with fright. 

 This was kept up until from sheer exhaustion 

 the ewes began to slacken their pace; but it 

 was not a long time before the flock became 



