HEREDITY 175 



foot is more likely to be effected by the dam than the 

 sire, I would not breed from either if they had the 

 defect. The same objection applies to what are called 

 "contracted feet." I think generally that diseases 

 are oftener transmitted from the mare than from the 

 sire, and that therefore a roaring mare is likelier to 

 have roaring stock than stock will be that is got 

 by a roaring stallion. At the same time it is my 

 opinion that two-thirds of the stallions are roarers, 

 or more, three-fourths of them. This I attribute to 

 the treatment which they receive after they have gone 

 to the stud. They are fattened up and not kept in a 

 natural state. If the stallion were allowed to run 

 out in the field and kept in a good healthy condition, 

 he would get better and healthier stock. In reply 

 to another series of questions which also pointed to 

 heredity, I said that a split pastern is an accident, and 

 I would pass a horse as sound that had one. The 

 soundest horse living might have a split pastern, but 

 if a horse had a side-bone or ring-bone I should 

 not say he was right. Side- or ring-bone is not the 

 result of accident. In reply to Lord Ribblesdale, who 

 returned to the question of early foaling, I repeated 

 that I did not think you could find a thoroughbred 

 May foal that was ever a roarer. But the retro- 

 spect should in this place be exact. I therefore 

 quote the next two or three questions and answers. 



' " As you know (observed his lordship), this Com- 

 mission is dealing with public money for the good 

 of the public. Do you think that in our rules we 

 ought to try to hit off some arrangement so that 



