I1EREDITARY TRANSMISSION AND VARIATION. 9L 



in the form of a human member, in the person of a 

 Maltese, of the name of Gratio Keileia, who was horn 

 with six lingers upon each hand, and the like number 

 of toes to each of his feet. That was a case of spon- 

 taneous variation. Nobody knows why he was horn 

 with that number of fingers and toes, and as we don't 

 know, we call it a case of " spontaneous " variation. 

 There is another remarkahle case also. I select these, 

 because they happen to have been observed and noted 

 very carefully at the time. It frequently happens that 

 a variation occurs, but the persons who notice it do not 

 take any care in noting down the particulars, until at 

 length, when inquiries come to be made, the exact cir- 

 cumstances are forgotten ; and hence, multitudinous as 

 may be such "spontaneous" variations, it is exceed- 

 ingly difficult to get at the origin of them. 



The second case is one of which you may find the 

 whole details in the " Philosophical Transactions " for 

 the year 1813, in a paper communicated by Colonel 

 Humphrey to the President of the Royal Society, — 

 "On a new Variety in the Breed of Sheep," giving an 

 account of a very remarkahle breed of sheep, which 

 at one time was well known in the northern states of 

 America, and which w T ent by the name of the Ancon 

 or the Otter breed of sheep. In tin; year 1791, there 

 was a farmer of the name of Seth Wright in Massa- 

 chusetts, who had a flock of sheep, consisting of a ram 

 and, I think, of some twelve or thirteen ewes. Of this 

 flock of ewes, one at the breeding-time bore a lamb 

 which was very singularly formed ; it had a very long 

 body, very short legs, and those legs were bowed ! I 

 will tell you by-and-by how this singular variation in 

 the breed of sheep came to be noted, and to have the 



