AlTENlJlS. 173 



liorses, asses, &c., by Tegetmeier and Sutherland.* As 

 the one writer has long taken a keen interest in almost all 

 branches of natural history, and more especially in the 

 crossing of various kinds of animals, while the other has 

 been long successfully engaged in breeding mules, it will 

 be well to indicate their views on the subject under con- 

 sideration. They better than any others may, I think, be 

 held as representing the views generally prevailing 

 amongst not only breeders, but all who take air interest in 

 our domestic and semi-domestic animals. 



Some breeders of mules accept the infection of tJie germ 

 theory ; others, who have had considerable experience in 

 the United States, affirm they have never seen any evidence 

 of the influence of the fifst sire on the subsequent progeny 

 to other sires. 



Believers in telegony frequently refer to the progeny 

 of an African ass [Equus asinu>i) obtained by the Zoo- 

 logical Society of London in 1881. This ass produced her 

 first foal in June, 1883, the other parent being an Asiatic- 

 ass {E. liemionus) . The hybrid foal closely resembled the 

 male parent, which was reddish in colour, the female being 

 of the usual grey. In 1889 and again in 1891 this female 

 African ass produced a foal to an African male ass. Both 

 foals presented the usual characters of the common or 

 African ass. But in 1892 f a third foal was born to the 

 same African male ass ; and this foal was of a reddish 

 fawn-colourj somewhat shaggy in coat, and provided with 

 a large star on the forehead and a white blaze down the 

 face, while the ears were relatively short and the shoulder 

 and leg stripes indistinct. 



This departure from the normal type might either be 

 due (1) to simple reversion, (2) to what would now-a-days 

 be designated discontinuous variation, or (3) to telegony — 

 in this case to the influence of the Asiatic first sire. 



In discussing this case the writers say : " The influence 



* ' Horses, Asses, Zebrns, and Mules,' Horace Cox, Field Office, 1895. 

 f Recently (1898) tliis ass lias produced a second reddish-coloured foal, 

 like her first mate llie Asiatic ass. 



