Hereditary Diseases of Sheep and Pigs. 
4» 
Sunderlantl, in a paper published in the ' Newcastle Chronicle' 
of 10th March, 1854, and noticed at considerable length in the 
'Monthly Medical Journal' for August of the same year. The 
male animal, according to Mr. Orton, influences especially the 
external, and the female the internal organization of the offspring. 
Tlie outward form, general appearance, and organs of locomotion 
are chiefly determined by the male ; the vital organs, size, 
general vigour, and endurance by the female. Many most inter- 
esting facts, of which we subjoin a few, are adduced in support 
of this proposition. There are many reasons for believing that 
Mr. Orton's views afford a clue to an important law of pliysiology. 
But this, it must be rem-embered, cannot be the only law operating 
in the process of generation, and as Mr. Orton himself states, it 
must consequently be liable to many modifications, and must 
only be accepted with certain restrictions. Thus the parent, 
which at the time of copulation is more powerful and vigorous, 
doubtless imparts to the progeny an unduly large share of its 
own prominent characters. 
]Mr. Harvey in commenting on Mr. Orton's paper makes the 
following observations : — 
" The mule is the produce of the male ass and the mare ; the 
hinny (or as it is called the muto), that of the horse and the she- 
ass. Both hybrids are the produce of the same set of animals. 
They differ widely, however, in their respective characters — the 
mule, in all that relates to its external characters, having the 
distinctive features of the ass — the hinny, in the same respects, 
having all the distinctive features of the horse ; while, in all that 
relates to the internal organs and vital qualities, the mule par- 
takes of the characters of the horse, and the hinny of those of the 
ass, Mr. Orton, speaking of this, says : ' The mule, the produce 
of the male ass and mare, is essentially a modijied ass ; the ears 
are those of an ass somewhat shortened ; the mane is that of the 
ass erect ; the tail is that of an ass ; the skin and colour are 
those of an ass somewhat modified ; the legs are slender, and the 
hoofs high, narrow, and contracted, like those of an ass ; in fact, 
in all these respects it is an ass somewhat modified. The body 
and barrel of the mule are round and full, in which it differs 
from the ass, and resembles the mare. The hinny (or muto), on 
the other hand, the pi'oduce of the stallion and she-ass, is essen- 
tially a modijied horse : the ears are those of a horse somewhat 
lengthened ; the mane flowing ; the tail is bushy, like that of 
the horse ; the skin is finer, like that of the horse ; and the 
colour varies also like the horse ; the legs are stronger, and the 
hoofs broad and expanded, like those of the horse. In fact, in 
all these respects, it is a horse somewhat modified. The body 
