156 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



males about 341 days, and for females 338 days, 

 the longest being 370 and the shortest 317 days. 

 Mr. M. A. Brown, from thirty foals in one year, 

 found the, average to be slightly greater for 

 males than females, while in the following 

 year, from thirty-two foals, the females were 

 carried longest He also reports a perfectly 

 well-authenticated case where a two-year-old 

 half-blood Percheron filly was bred to an im- 

 ported Percheron stallion and produced a 

 strong, healthy horse foal at just 300 days.* 

 Mr. Brown has no doubt of the accuracy of this 

 statement, the filly having, been served but 

 once. This is the shortest weW-authenticated 

 period of which I have any knowledge, although 

 immature foals at shorter periods have been re- 

 ported. Veterinary writers generally place the 

 extremes at from 300 to 400 days, but the long- 

 est period that has been reported to me was by 

 a correspondent at Chatham, 0., who states that 

 a mare belonging to him was served May 7, and 

 did not drop her foal until May 17 of the follow- 

 ing year, being a period of one year and ten 

 days.f 



In view of the indefiniteness of the period of 

 gestation the mare should be closely watched, 

 as there are certain signs of the near approach 

 of parturition which rarely fail. The udder 

 frequently becomes greatly distended sometime 



* The Breeder's Gazette, Vol. V, p. 556. t Vnd. , Vcl. I, p. 735. 



