700 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 674 



A CASE OF TRIPLET CALVES WITH PECULIAR 

 COLOR INHERITANCE 



The attention of the writer was recently 

 called to a case of the birth of triplet calves 

 which was alleged to have occurred June 20, 

 1907, on a farm near Waldoboro, Maine. 

 Lately this case has begun to figure in the 

 newspapers along with other real and pre- 

 sumed " nature fakes." The purpose of the 

 present note is to state some of the essential 

 facts regarding the case, which the writer has 

 under investigation. A complete account, with 

 photographs, will be published elsewhere at a 

 later date. 



At the outstart it may be stated that there 

 is no doubt whatever regarding the fact of the 

 multiple birth. The three calves, when born, 

 were normally formed, though considerably 

 below the normal in size. They have all con- ■ 

 tinned to live and have grown well. They 

 have not yet, however, reached a size normal 

 for their age. They are apparently in perfect 

 health and condition. As to sex, one of the 

 three is a male, the other two females. A 

 remarkable feature of the case is that the 

 mother of the triplets, thought but seven years 

 old, has produced ten calves. These were 

 distributed as to pregnancies as follows : 



Numter of 

 Pregnancy Young 



1st 1 



2d ; 1 



3d 1 



4th 2 



5th 2 



6th 3 



A different bull was concerned in each of the 

 matings. 



In regard to color inheritance the condition 

 presented, by these calves is of considerable 

 interest. 'The mother is a grade Guernsey, 

 of the light yellowish-fawn coat color typical 

 for the breed. The father is a Hereford, 

 showing the white face and nearly solid col- 

 ored body typical for that breed. In his 

 ancestry there is a small admixture of Hol- 

 stein " blood." Presumably in consequence 

 of this arises the fact that his body coat is 

 black instead of dark red, as in the pure 



Hereford. The coloration' of the calves is 

 indicated in the following scheme: 



Typical Guernsey in 

 respect to eoat color, 

 with a very close ap- 

 proximation to the 

 precise distribution of 

 color shown by the 

 mother. 



Female 

 Both typical Here- 

 fords, as to both color 

 and markings. The two 

 are not precisely alike 

 in color pattern. One 

 resembles the father in 

 color pattern very close- 

 ly. The body color of 

 these calves is slowly 

 darkening. 



That this ease furnishes interesting material 

 for the Mendelist goes without saying. The 

 full discussion of it will be undertaken later. 



Eaymond Pearl 

 Biological Laboeatoky, 

 Agbicultueal Experiment Station, 

 Okono, Maine 



CURRENT NOTES ON METEOROLOGY AND 

 CLIMATOLOGY 



RAINFALL IN THE PHILIPPINES 



A RECENT publication of the Philippine 

 Weather Bureau deals with " The Eainf all in 

 the Philippines," and was prepared by Rev. 

 Miguel Saderra Maso, S.J. (Manila, 1907, 

 4to, pp. 31). Eainf all measurements have 

 been made at about sixty stations throughout 

 the- islands, but with many interruptions. 

 Over most of the archipelago the maximum 

 rainfall comes in summer and autumn (June 

 to October), the "rainy season." In Novem- 

 ber to February rain falls abundantly on the 

 eastern and northern coasts. March to May 

 are the driest months. The spring and autumn 

 rainfall is cyclonic. The winter rains come 

 with the northeast monsoon. There are three 

 zones, classified according to their rainfall 

 seasons. (1) Zone of very definite rainy and 

 dry seasons. Annual rainfall 1,500-2,000 mm., 

 and over. (2) Zones with a long rainy season 

 (summer, autumn and winter), and a very 

 short dry period. The annual rainfall is above 

 3,000 mm. in places, and ranges down to some- 

 what below 2,000 mm. (3) Zones with more 

 or less uniform distribution of rainfall through 

 the year. At some coast stations the annual 

 amount is over 3,000 mm. Elsewhere it is 



