Chap. XIV. AT CORRESPONDING PERIODS. 53 



in life, yet are inherited at the same period at which they 

 first appeared. 



In the Lambert family the porcupine-like excrescences appeared 

 in the father and sons at the same age, namely, about nine weeks 

 after birth. 30 In the extraordinary hairy family described by Mr. 

 Crawfurd, 31 children were produced during three generations with 

 hairy ears ; in the father the hair began to grow over his body at 

 six years old; in his daughter somewhat earlier, namely, at one 

 year ; and in both generations the milk teeth appeared late in life, 

 the permanent teeth being afterwards singularly deficient. Grey- 

 ness of hair at an unusually early age has been transmitted in some 

 families. These cases border on diseases inherited at corresponding 

 periods of life, to which I shall immediately refer. 



It is a well-known peculiarity with almond-tumbler pigeons, that 

 the full beauty and peculiar character of the plumage does not 

 appear until the bird has moulted two or three times. Neumeister 

 describes and figures a brace of pigeons in which the whole body is 

 white except the breast, neck, and head ; but in their first plumage 

 all the white feathers have coloured edges. Another breed is more 

 remarkable : its first plumage is black, with rusty-red wing-bars 

 and a crescent-shaped mark on the breast ; these marks then 

 become white, and remain so during three or four moults; but after 

 this period the white spreads over the body, and the bird loses its 

 beauty. 32 Prize canary-birds have their wings and tail black : 

 " this colour, however, is only retained until the first moult, so that 

 " they must be exhibited ere the change takes place. Once 

 " moulted, the peculiarity has ceased. Of course all the birds 

 " emanating from this stock have black wings and tails the first 

 year." 33 A curious and somewhat analogous account has been 

 given 34 of a family of wild pied rooks which were first observed in 

 1798, near Chalfont, and which every year from that date up to the 

 period of the published notice, viz., 1837, " have several of their 

 " brood particoloured, black and white. This variegation of the 

 " plumage, however, disappears with the first moult ; but among 

 " the next young families there are always a few pied ones." 

 These changes of plumage, which are inherited at various corre- 

 sponding periods of life in the pigeon, canary-bird, and rook, are 

 remarkable, because the parent-species passes through no such 

 change. 



Inherited diseases afford evidence in some respects of less value 



30 Prichard, ' Phys. Hist, of Man- 32 ' Das Ganze der Taubenzucht,' 

 kind,' 1851, vol. i. p. 349. 1837, s. 24, tab. iv., fig. 2 ; s. 21, tab. 



31 'Embassy to the Court of Ava,' i., fig. 4. 



vol. i. p. 320. The third generation 33 Kidd's ' Treatise on the Cauary,' 



is described by Capt. Yule in his p. 18. 



' Narrative of the Mission to the 2 * Charlesworth, ' Mag. of Nat. 



Court of Ava,' 1855, p. 94. Hist.,' vol. i. 1837, p. 1G7. 



