48 THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM. 



The late Dr. Hugh Smith used to relate a similar instance 

 which occurred to a very favourite female setter that often followed 

 his carriage. On one occasion, when travelling in the country, 

 she became suddenly so enamoured of a mongrel that followed 

 her, that, to separate them, he was forced, or rather his anger 

 irritated him, to shoot the mongrel, and he then proceeded on his 

 journey. The image of this sudden favourite, however, still 

 haunted the bitch, and for some weeks after she pined excessive- 

 ly, and obstinately refused intercourse with any other dog. At 

 length she admitted the caresses of a well-bred setter ; but when 

 she whelped, the Doctor was mortified with the sight of a litter 

 which he perceived bore evident marks (particularly in colour) of 

 the favoured cur, and they were accordingly destroyed. The same 

 also occurred in all her future puppings ; invariably the breed was 

 tainted by the lasting impression made by the mongrel. It is, 

 therefore, evident that, to ensure a select breed, too much care 

 cannot be taken to render the choice of the male agreeable to the 

 female ; and also, where a female of a very valuable breed has 

 been long habituated to any favourite male companion, and which 

 it is not intended she should be allowed to breed by, that it is 

 advisable to separate them even before the oestrum or heat of 

 the bitch comes on, which will prevent the disappointment that 

 might otherwise occur. 



Like begets like, is the dog-breeder's axiom ; and when the 



other instances, had never presented any appearance of the kind. Phil. Trans. 

 1821. — The former cases tend to confirm what I have before remarked, that 

 the mental influence excited on these occasions extends less to the internal or- 

 ganization than to the external characters of colour and covering. The fol- 

 lowing will, however, shew, that impressions from terror may sink so deep as 

 to affect the organization also of the progeny. In the Linnaean Society of 

 London is found an account, by Mr. Milne, of a pregnant cat, his own pro- 

 perty, the end of whose tail was trodden on with so much violence, as, appa- 

 rently, to give the animal intense pain. When she kittened, five young ones 

 appeared, perfect in every other respect except the tail, which was in each 

 one of them distorted near the end, and enlarged into a cartilaginous knob.— 

 Linn. Tram., vol. ix, p. 323. 



