THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



101 



disposition of the ass predominates, and 

 does so in virtue of that " potency of 

 race," which belongs to the ass — a poten- 

 cy which is less effective on the ninny, 

 because the superior vigor of the stallion 

 modifies it. Buffon states that the pro- 

 duce of a dog and a she-wolf sometimes 

 hark and sometimes howl. In the human 

 family we know that a magnificent voice 

 is as often inherited from the mother as 

 the father. Orton, again, states that the 

 cross between the Cochin China cock and 

 common hens invariably lay white eggs. 

 He also states that Bakewell, of Dishley, 

 would sell or let his best rams — his best 

 ewes were sacred. These he would nei- 

 ther sell nor let. 



On the other hand Girou states that 

 "farmers are more particular about the 

 bull than about the cow when they want a 

 good milking cow, for it is observed that 

 the property of abundant secretion of 

 milk is more certain to be transmitted 

 from a bull than from a cow." It cannot 

 be doubted that the bull does transmit his 

 qualities to his descendants. Neither can 

 it be denied that the female does the same. 

 And it may well be questioned whether, 

 as regards the secretion of milk, the influ 

 ence of the cow is not as great as that of 

 the bull. It may truly be said that, " if 

 the organization of the male was the only 

 one that passed to the child, the child 

 would resemble the father, as the fruit of 

 a graft resemble the tree from which the 

 graft was taken, and not at all the tree on 

 which it was grafted." 



There are several perturbing causes 

 which prevent the perfect transmission of 

 the qualities of the immediate individual 

 parent. The first of these is the influence 

 of one gestation of the female upon sub- 

 sequent ones — illustrated by the case men- 

 tioned by Sir Everard Home of the mare 

 that had a mule by a Quagga in 1816, and 

 who produced in 1817, 1818 and 1823, 

 foals marked by the curious Quagga marks, 

 although she had not seen the Quagga \ 

 after 1816. Other similar cases are cited. 



A second perturbing cause is atavism, or ; 

 the influence of ancestry. It is well < 

 known that family peculiarities of color, i 

 delormities, &c, may skip a generation < 

 and re-appear in the second. ; 



A third cause is what is called the " po- i 

 tency of race or individual." This influ- l 

 ence has often been obvious in the history 

 of the human race. Among animals it I 



has often been sufficient to destroy all the 

 calculations of the breeder. Girou at- 

 tempted crosses of the Merino with both 

 the Roussillon and the Aveyron sheep du- 

 ring twenty-five years. The Aveyron was 

 soon lost in the Merino ; but, at the end 

 of that time, the Roussillon was found to 

 show itself distinctly. What is true of 

 races is also true of individuals. It is the 

 stronger individual whether male of fe- 

 male — the stronger family — the stronger 

 race, that exerts most powerfully a modi- 

 fying influence on the offspring. 



Certain general facts are arrived at, 

 which are thus summed up by the Re- 

 viewer : 



1. Heritage is constant ; it is a law of 

 organized beings that the organization of 

 parents should be transmitted to their off- 

 spring. 



2. The offspring directly represents both 

 parents, and indirectly it represents its an- 

 cestors. 



3. The offspring never represents its 

 parents with absolute equality, although it 

 represents them in every organ. Some- 

 times one parent predominates in one 

 system, sometimes in another, and some- 

 times in all. 



4. The causes of this predominance are 

 various, some. being connected with " po- 

 tency of race," or individual superiority 

 in age, vigor, &c. ; others being in the 

 present state of our knowledge, not recog- 

 nizable. 



A REMARKABLE HORSE. 

 One of the most remarkable roadsters, 

 of which we have any knowledge, died 

 recently in this city. He was a compact 

 built, showy horse, of medium size, with 

 a proud bearing, and an eye whose fire 

 was as unquenchable as his spirit. He 

 was a dark bay approaching to chestnut 

 in color, with white feet, clean limbs, and 

 a muscular development, that, to a prac- 

 tical eye, told at once the merits of the 

 animal. He was one of those horses, 

 which, in their best days would attract 

 attention amid a crowd of other animals, 

 especially when in action under the har- 

 ness, a fair traveler, but not the fastest 

 on a short heat, his endurence was be- 

 yond all precedent so far as we know in 

 the history of horseflesh on this conti- 

 nent. 



We gather the principal facts in the 

 biography of this animal, from an article 



