ij82 Maine; agricui^tural expe;rimi;nt station. 19 12. 



(c) The development of secondary sexual characters. 



(d) The inheritance of fecundity and fertility. It is well 

 established that a tendency to multiple gestation in normally 

 uniparous forms may be inherited, and may be made the basis 

 oi building up fnore fertile strains or breeds. 



The (ii'^cussion of problems is followed by a detailed descrip- 

 tion of a case of triplet calves, borne by a cow apparently having 

 an innate inherited tendency towards multiple gestation. 



The triplets were the progeny of a grade Guernsey cow that 

 produced 14 calves in her first eight pregnancies, bearing trip- 

 lets twice, twins twice, and single young four times. 



The growth of multiple as compared with single young is 

 discussed with reference to certain general laws of growth. 



The triplets described consisted of two females and one male, 

 itie latter was sexually normal in every particular, and was 

 used in service, getting normal offspring. The females never 

 came in heat and probably were free-martins. 



In color and pattern inheritance the triplets exhibited the fol- 

 lowing peculiarities : The male was typically a Guernsey, re- 

 sembHng closely his dam. The females were of quite different 

 color and pattern, resembling more closely their sire, a grade 

 Hereford. A possible Mendelian interpretation of these facts 

 is discussed. 



