136 SPRINGTIME SURGERY 



horse colt. Both were dead. The mule's body 

 was not yet completely covered with hair and its 

 size was not more than one-third that of the 

 full-term foal. 



The only explanation I can offer as to the im- 

 mature state of this foal was that it had been 

 carried dead for some months and had resisted 

 decomposition and mummification until normal 

 conditions had delivered it along with the horse 

 colt. The carrying of a dead fetus for this 

 length of time is not rare and unless service was 

 had with a jack at a later period than that with 

 the stallion, we must accept some such explana- 

 tion. Parturition occurred about two weeks be- 

 fore the normal period of gestation, for the 

 horse colt, had expired. 



