No. 591] TRANSMISSION OF DEGENERACY 153 



viving. The mortality here happens to be about three 

 times higher than among the single-litter individuals. 

 And further, not one of the 21 specimens born in litters 

 of three lived. Among the offspring from the alcoholic 

 inbred lines, judging from the numbers now available, 

 the difference between the vitality of individuals born in 

 litters of one and those born in larger-size litters is most 

 striking. 



The space below is the reverse of the one just consid- 

 ered and gives the percentage of young dying in the dif- 

 ferent litters. Only 23.68 per cent, died from litters of 

 one individual, while 73.68 per cent, died in the litters of 

 two individuals, and every one, 100 per cent., of the ani- 

 mals born in litters of three died within three months and 

 usually within a few days. 



The proportion of deformed animals occurring in the 

 different-size litters again emphasizes the same differ- 

 ences in quality. All together 14.81 per cent, of the 135 

 individuals were grossly deformed; this is the highest 

 percentage of deformed animals occurring in the several 

 combinations represented in the table. 



Of those animals born one in a litter only 5.26 per cent, 

 were deformed; of those born two in a litter 18.42 per 

 cent., or more than three times as many, were deformed, 

 and of those specimens born in litters of three 19.04 per 

 cent., or about one in five of them, were grossly deformed. 



The proportion of deformities, therefore, conforms to 

 the mortality records, being very much higher in the 

 larger litters, and not unusually high among the individ- 

 uals born one in a litter as compared with the average 

 percentage of deformities from alcoholic non-relatives. 

 Therefore, the bodily quality of the offspring is not mate- 

 rially worse from alcoholic inbred animals than from 

 matings of alcoholic non-relatives, provided only one in- 

 dividual is born in the litter. But when more than one 

 individual occurs in the litter, the alcoholic inbred com- 

 bination is the most disastrous for the vitality and form 

 of the offspring of all the combinations considered. 



