198 Scientific Proceedings, Ttoi/al Diihlin Society. 



questioned again and again to see whether his statement that " all the foals of 

 the first two were dun " could be shaken. Additional information, the result 

 of closer and closer inquiry, comes out in every succeeding letter ; hut the first 

 two sires' foals are always dun. Such cases as " the one that was rather 

 white" are met with occasionally. The foal is a kind of creamy white, which 

 darkens into a dun. Mr. Garvey mentions two such foals by the chestnut 

 sire " Movement," out of dun mares. 



Another quotation from Mr. Grarvey will show the thoroughness of his 

 inquiries, and at the same time bring out a very interesting point. The 

 Welsh pony " Movement " has been stationed twice on the island — the 

 second time after a lapse of eleven years. Consequently he must have been 

 mated again and again with his own descendants. He has a very peculiar 

 irregular grey splash on the rump and loins. This splash was not noticed in 

 his progeny of 1896 to 1899 ; but it is noticed in his recent progeny, 

 and Mr. Garvey observes that it does not occur where the foal is dun.' 

 '' In the majority of cases, black, bay, and red mares served by this horse 

 have produced foals of the same colour as the sire with the white stripe ; but 

 it has not occurred on any occasion that the dun foals have the white stripe 

 on their backs." Apparently the splash on the rump is recessive ; but it did 

 not get a chance to come to the surface till " Movement's" second visit. 



On Clare Island, therefore, there have been two homozygous dun stallions ; 

 and their progeny, which must have mounted to about 300, show that their 

 colour is dominant, not only to brown, but to all other colours on the island, 

 excepting grey. 



In searching for evidence concerning dun, three other colours have been 

 occasionally met with — namely, piebald and skewbald, fawn, and cream. 

 About thirty of the first kind were seen ; and where the parentage was 

 recorded there was no progeny without either a piebald or skewbald parent. 

 Only a few fawns were noticed ; but notes were kept concerning about thirty 

 eases of creams. Unfortunately, however, they allow no clear inference to be 

 drawn. Creams are usually found where duns are found ; and individuals are 

 described as " cream or dun,"- " dun cream," " cream dun," and so on. From 

 this, cream miglit be expected to be a variety of dun, and, when black 

 " points " are present, it probably is so. But occasionally such descriptions 

 as " chestnut cream " and " cream chestnut " are also found. If these are 

 misdescriptions, they have no weight ; but if not, there may also be a cream 

 which is a variety of chestnut. Two entries in the Polo Pony stud-book — 



' The dun foals' dams must have been dun and therefore not " Movement's " daughters. 



2 Oscar, the Norse sire sent to Clare Island, Is recorded as a " dun or cream, with white or cream 

 mane and tail, and blaok stripe down back," in the books of the Congested Districts Board, although 

 he is clearly a dun to most who have seen him. 



