Nov. II, 1886] 



NA TURE 



39 



partially coalesced with A, and has but one pad in common 

 with it (Fig. 2). . . . There is seen to be an extra pad behind the 

 additional toes, of which there is no trace in the normal foot." 

 In some families to be described, and also in two previously 

 noted, the large extra toe, A, is present, while the insignificant 

 pollex (Fig. I, i) is absent, and thus the paw appears extremely 

 broad, although with only the normal number of toes. In 

 the hind-paws (Figs. 5 and 6) "there is little doubt that the 

 innermost toe i is the hallux lost in the normal foot. . . . 

 The second extra toe is that labelled A. . . .On the under side 

 (Fig. 6) all the toes have separate pads, and there is an addi- 

 tional pad behind the extra toes," which is sometimes fused with 

 that behind the normal toes. 



This cat produced her first family, described in the previous 

 paper, on July lo, 18S3. Continuing the observations from that 

 date, the next family (of four tabby kittens) was born in June 

 1S84. (l)and (2) were normal — a male and a female. (3) — a 

 female — possessed six toes on the fore-paws, each toe with a sepa- 

 rate front pad, and a bifid hind pad (distinct from that for the other 

 toes) to the two inner toes ( I and A in Figs. I and 2) ; the toe 

 shown in the figure and absent in this kitten is of course that 

 marked B — ti.e last to be added in all cases. The hind-paws 

 possessed six toes each, as in the mother, and with the same 

 arrangement of pads as in her left hind-paw, i.e. with separate 

 front pads to each toe (as in Fig. 6), but with the hind pads for 

 the extra toes i and A continuous with those for the four 

 normal toes (unlike Fig. 6 in this respect). (4), a female, 

 possessed seven toes on the ri_i;ht fore-paw ; the front pads 

 separate except in the case of those for the toes A and B, 

 Fig. 2, which were slightly fused. The hind pad for the three 

 innermost toes was quite separate from that for the others. 

 This paw, in fact, almost exactly resembled that of the mother- 

 cat on the same side, shown in Figs, i and 2. The left fore- 

 paw possessed six toes, the small one marked B in Figs. I and 

 2 being absent. The pads were in other respects similar to 

 those of the right paw. Thus the relative amounts of abnor- 

 mality on the two sides are as with the mother, the preponder- 

 ance being on the right side in both cases. But the difference 

 is here greater in both directions, the right paw having rather 

 more abnormality than in the mother, because of the less com- 

 plete fusion between the front pads of the toes A and B, 

 while on the left side the abnormality is much less than in the 

 mother, in the complete suppression of the toe B. The hind- 

 paws were as in the last kitten, and similar to the left hind-paw 

 of the mother. 



The next family (of three) was born September 22, 1884. (l), 

 a female tabby kitten, was normal. (2), a female tabby kitten, 

 possessed seven loes on the right fore-paw, with separate front 

 pads to each toe and the hind pad as in Fig. 2. The inner- 

 most claw was double, the two divisions being arranged vertic- 

 ally one above the other, the lower being small and incomplete. 

 In this respect, and in the separate front pad to the toe B, this 

 paw is far beyond the mother's paw of the same side in abnor- 

 mality. The left fore-paw possessed six toes, that marked B being 

 absent. Otherwise the arrangement of pads was similar to that 

 shown in Fig. 2. Hence this paw is more normal than that of 

 the mother on the same side, and both fo"e-paws compare with 

 those of the mother in the same manner as those of No. 4 of the 

 l.ast family, the only difference being the even greater abnor- 

 mality of the right paw in the present instance. The hind-paws 

 possessed six toes with separate front pads and continuous hind 

 pads, as in the left hindpaw of the mother. (3), also a female 

 tabby kitten, possessed seven toes on both fore-paws. The 

 arrangement of pads on both paws was similar to that on the 

 left fore-paw of the mother, except that the toe B could not be 

 said to possess a front pad at all. The hind-paws were as in 

 the last kitten and the left hind-paw of the mother. 



The next family (of three) was born in September 1SS5. (l), 

 a female tabby and slight tortoiseshell kitten, possessed the 

 normal number of five toes on the fore-paws, but the foot 

 a| peared almost as broad as in the abnormal kittens. This was 

 because the large extra toe (a in Figs, i and 2) was jiresent 

 while the much smaller pollex i was absent. The front pad of 

 the large abnormal toe was also slightly bifid, so that there was 

 some indication of the next small toe B. The hind-paws pos- 

 sessed five toes with separate front pads and fused hind pads. 

 (2), a female tortoiseshell and tabby kitten, possessed fore-paws 

 like those of the kitten just described. The right hind-paw was 

 also similar, with five toes, but the left possessed six like the 

 mother. The front pads were separate, as usual, on the hind- 



paws. (3), a female tabby and slight tortoiseshell kitten, with 

 fore-paws having seven toes like the mother, and also resembling 

 her in the difference between right and left. The right paw 

 possessed most abnormality, and was more advanced than the 

 mother, as all the toes — even that marked B — possessed separate 

 front pads. On the left side, however, the toe marked B pos- 

 sessed no separate pad. The hind-paws were like those of the 

 mother, possessing six toes with separate front pads. This 

 kitten was given to a friend, and will be again referred to. 



The next and last family (of four kittens) up to the present 

 time was born about July i, 1886. (i), a female tabby kitten, 

 was normal. (2), a female tabby kitten, possessed five toes on 

 the fore-paws, but the feet were very broad, because the large 

 abnorinal toe (marked A, Figs, i and 2) was present instead of 

 the small pollex. The hind-paws possessed six toes like those 

 of the mother. (3), a male sandy kitten, possessed seven toes 

 on the left fore-paw, the innermost (pollex) being exceedingly 

 small and rudimentary, while the right paw possessed only six 

 toes, the pollex being absent, although both abnorinal toes (a 

 and B, Figs. I and 2) were present. In this kitten the difference 

 between the sides is therefore the reverse of that in the mother. 

 The hind-paws possessed six toes like those of the mother. 

 (4), a male tabby kitten, — by far the most abnormal form 

 which has yet come under my personal notice. Both fore-paws 

 have seven toes, each possessing a separate front pad, while the 

 claw of the small toe B is well formed and large, and its pad is 

 large and quite distinct and separate from that of A. The claw 

 of the pollex I on both sides is partially divided (towards the 

 apex) into a large upper, and rather smaller lower, division. 

 This tendency towards a vertical proliferation has been already 

 described in one of the kittens of the family born September 22, 

 18S4. In the hind pads this was also the most abnormal form 

 yet seen, for, interior to the normal fused hind pads for the four 

 normal toes 2, 3, 4, and 5, were arranged three pads forming an 

 almost continuous series with each other and with those belong- 

 ing to the four normal toes. These three pads diminished in 

 size from within outwards, and the one behind the toe B wa> 

 very small, and was somewhat separated from the others, and 

 especially associated with the internal side of the fused normal 

 pads. The hind pads for the toes i and A were fused, but a 

 distinct furrow indicated the line of separation. There was n» 

 practical difterence between the fore-paws of the right and left 

 side. The right hind-paw possessed seven toes, or three more 

 than in the normal animal. This is the first time that I have 

 come across so great an abnormality in the hind-paws, although 

 Mr. Vaughan remembers it on both right and left sides in two 

 individuals. All the seven toes are large and distinct, and have 

 separate front pads. Interior to the normal fused hind pads, 

 and continuous with them, is an ill-defined series of three pads, 

 irregularly diminishing in size towards the interior, and crowded 

 together so that the innermost is not behind the innermost 

 toe. The foot is somewhat deformed. The left hind-paw 

 possesses the usual six toes with separate front pads and fuse;! 

 hind pads. 



I now return to (3) of the family mentioned before the last — 

 the highly abnormal female tabby which was given to a friend 

 in Oxford. This cat pioduced a family (of four) on July 10, 

 1886. (l) and (2), both sandy male kittens, were normal ; (3) 

 and (4), both tabby female kittens, were like the mother, possess- 

 ing seven toes on the fore-paws and six toes on the hind-paws. 

 These two kittens were given to Prof. Meldola and Mr. W. 

 White, and I trust that they will be frequently referred to m 

 some future number of Nature. I am now able to give a 

 somewhat longer account of these two kittens. In Prof. Mel- 

 dola's kitten the left fore -paw is somewhat less abnormal than 

 the right, because the toe B is very small, although it possesses 

 a front pad separate from that of A. Of course the pollex i 

 has a distinct front pad. There is a single, although somewhat 

 divided, hind pad for the three inner toes, separate from the 

 normal pad behind the four outer digits. On the right side the 

 toe B is large, but the arrangement of front and hind pads is the 

 same as that on the left side. The hind-paws have large and 

 distinct front pads on all the six toes of both sides, and the hmd 

 pads of the abnormal toes form a continuous series with those 

 behind the normal digits. 



The fore-paws of Mr. White's kitten are precisely similar in 

 every respect, the toe B being much larger on the right side, 

 and the arrangement of pads being exactly the same. The 

 hind-paws only differ in the fused hind pads for the abnormal 

 toes being somewhat: separated from those behind the norm.al 



