9^ Mr. Carlisle’s Account of a Family 
Besides the persons I have mentioned, this hereditary re- 
dundance of limbs has been attached to the little fingers, and 
to the little toes of several of the ancestors of the family. The 
mother of Abiah Colburn brought the peculiarity into his 
family. Her maiden name was Abigail Green ; she however 
had not the extra finger on one of her hands; the other hand, 
and her feet were similarly marked with those of her son 
Abiah. 
David Colburn, the father of Abiah, had no peculiarity. 
By his marriage with Abigail Green, he had three sons and 
one daughter. Two of these sons and the daughter were fully 
marked in all the limbs; the other son had one hand and one 
foot naturally formed. 
, Abigail Green inherited these supernumerary limbs from 
her mother, whose maiden name was Kendall, and she 
had five fingers and a thumb upon each hand, and six toes on 
each foot. 
The marriage of Kendall with Mr. Green pro- 
duced eleven children, whom Abiah Colburn's mother, who 
was one of the eleven, reports to have been all completely 
marked : but the present family are unacquainted with the 
history of the other ten branches, and they do not possess any 
knowledge of their ancestors beyond Kendall, the great 
o^randmother of Zerah Colburn. ' 
Numerous examples of the hereditary propagation of pe- 
culiarities have been recorded : all family resemblances, indeed, 
however trifling they may appear to a common observer, are 
interesting to the physiologist, and equally curious ; though 
not so rare as those described in the preceding history. In 
every department of animal nature, accumulation of facts must 
