!86 CAUSES OF VARIATION 



instance of Lord Morton's mare mentioned by Darwin. 1 This 

 mare bore a colt by a quagga, which was of course striped after 

 the manner of his sire. She afterwards bore two colts by a 

 stallion, both of which were said to have been marked with 

 bars on shoulders and legs supposedly showing the effects of 

 the quagga upon the offspring of the stallion. 



Professor Ewart, of Edinburgh, has recently repeated this 

 experiment on an extended scale, with results showing no trace 

 of the quagga beyond his own offspring. 2 Recent investigations 

 in contemporary literature throw grave doubt upon the essential 

 accuracy of the data at Darwin's hand. They seem to show 

 that the supposed resemblance of the stallion colts to the quagga 

 was exceedingly fanciful, probably being nothing beyond what 

 appears frequently in young horses of the purest parentage, 

 dun-colored horses as a rule showing more or less tendency to 

 stripes and bars. 



It is one of the best evidences of the power of tradition that 

 this single instance, happening more than a hundred years ago, 

 has done duty ever since to prove (?) an exceedingly doubtful 

 theory and an almost unaccountable belief. It is remarkable 

 that so uncertain a circumstance, and one so easy of repetition, 

 with universal experience tending constantly to throw light upon 

 the subject, should have been so excessively overworked. It 

 shows, as no other instance has ever shown, the persistence of 

 tradition, the extent of credulity in the presence of the phenom- 

 enal, and the willingness of men to repeat an assertion, or even 

 an opinion, until by mere repetition it comes to have all the 

 force of authority. The thanks of the world are due to Professor 

 Ewart for his excellent work in disposing, by direct experiment, 

 of a citation that has done damage long enough. It is to be 

 hoped that the question may at least be held open until some 

 sort of positive evidence is brought forward that is worthy the 

 credence of careful students. 



Telegony in dogs. Dog fanciers are pretty generally credited 

 with believing in telegony, especially in case of first matings. 



1 See Darwin, Animals and Plants under Domestication, chap, xiii, p. 17, of 

 second edition by Appleton. (Quoted from Philosophical Transactions, 1821, 

 P- 25). 2 R ree j er j Gazette, XI,T, 1009. 



