EFFECT OF FIRST IMPREGNATION. 97 



sei'vcd by a polled-Angus bull, and all had pure Angus calves 

 except one, which, threatened with barrenness, had been sent 

 to starve on another farm, where she grazed with a yellow and 

 white ox. The calf was yellow and white. 



Mr. Cruiksiiank of Littyton, had twelve white calves from 

 his roan and brown Durharas after whitewashing his steading to 

 ward off phiero-pncumonia in 1849. He never before had 

 more than two in one year and always sent tliem away. A 

 similar occurrence took place in a Yorkshire herd the same 

 year. 



Though this impressibility would appear to be restricted to a 

 very small minority of breeding animals, yet its occasional ex- 

 istence should make us careful how we bring animals of im- 

 proved breeds into intimate or exclusive relationship with stock 

 of less desirable qualities. 



This impressible state of the mental faculties in the brute 

 may assist in explaining another phenomenon in breeding. 



Ilh. The effect of the first sire on succeeding- progenj/. — Hauss- 

 man long ago noticed that mares bred to an ass, and subse- 

 quently to a horse, had the qualities of the ass preserved in the 

 second and third foals. Lord Morton put an Arab mare to a 

 quagga, and two successive foals thereafter by a black Arab 

 horse had the striped skin, the dun color, and the short bristly 

 main of the quagga. So with the Hampton Court mares served 

 by Colonel, and the following year by Action, the colts in the 

 latter case bore a striking resemblance to Colonel. A polled- 

 Angus heifer served by a Durham bull showed the effect on her 

 next succeeding progeny by a polled-Angus bull, the calf being 

 evidently a cross in shape, in color, and in having horns. (Mc- 

 Gillivray.) 



Dr. Wells, Grenada, had a flock of white ewes put to a choco- 

 late colored, hairy ram, and next year, though served by a ram 

 of their own breed, they produced lambs allied to the chocolate 

 ram in color and texture of fl^eece. 



Mr. Shaw, Lochell Cushine, Aberdeen, had part of his ewes 

 put to a Leicester, and part to a Southdown ram, and the fol- 

 lowing year, though served by a horned Highland ram, the 

 lambs showed extensively the stamp of the two polled rams in 

 their dun faces and lack of horns. 



Mr. Giles put a black and white Essex sow to a chestnut wild 

 13 



