ON THE INHERITANCE OF AN AURAL ABNORMALITY IN THE AYRSHIRE, iß 
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4, 
and one of our prominent Ayrshire breeders, by Mr. G. Bement, Oakland 
Cal., U. S. A. A quotation from Mr. ]?ement's letter reads : "The nicked 
ears above are natural and can be traced back to the imported bull Eglinton 
(21) described in the Herd Book as 'Dark 
]5ro\vn and White with Nicked Ears.' 
Many of my herd were calved with nicked 
ears." 
According to my examination of the 
Ayrshire Record I and II five bulls and 
eight cows are recorded to have had such 
abnormal ears. With the single exception 
of the bull "Carleton Chief "( 1 568), all of 
these were the descendants of "Eglinton." 
No doubt there must be more affected in- 
dividuals but many of them, 1 think, either 
have escaped notice, or have not been de- 
scribed as to tlieir aural peculiarity. As 
the bull Eglinton was imported in 1859 
from Scotland to the U. S. A., the remote 
origin of this abnormality should naturally 
be sought in its native habitat. 
In our country this peculiarity of the 
ears can be traced almost without break to 
a bull "Express" (4503), once owned by the Mayeda Farm. At this farm he 
has produced more than 35 offspring, all of them having this characteristic. 
"Express" was bred in 1888 by Mr. G. Bement, above cited, imported in 
1890 by Mr. M. Hori, and sold in 1894 to the Mayeda Farm. As he was a 
superior animal, his stock enjoyed great celebrity and popularity in its da\" 
and the nicked ears were highly valued as a distinctive indication of his 
Diagrams showing the normal and 
abnormal ears in the Ayrshire breed, 
a, Normal type ; b, -Slightly nicked type ; 
c, Well nicked type. 
i) The Ayrshire Record I. 1876, Boston. 
The Ayrshire Record II. 1878, Boston. 
