MR. CHERRY IN REPLY TO MR. WHITTLE. 
317 
would save the life of the mother. Accordingly, I introduced my 
parturition clams, and, fastening them in the posterior part of the 
pelvis, carefully introducing a probe-pointed bistoury, I divided 
the lumbar vertebrae, and, telling the assistant to pull the rope 
which was attached to the clams, we got away one hind leg and 
the pelvis. My next step was to evacuate the abdomen of its 
viscera, and by forcing my hand through the diaphragm I drew 
away the contents of the thorax ; then, fixing the clams in the 
anterior part of the dorsal vertebrae, I got away the greatest part 
of the carcass. I then introduced my hand, and, seizing one of the 
fore legs, I managed to turn it into a natural position, by attaching 
a rope to each fore leg, and, by fixing the clams on each side of the 
head, I extracted the remaining part of the foetus. 
The foetus appeared to have been dead some days, and the 
mouth contained four incisor teeth in the lower jaw, and three 
molars on each side, perfectly developed. But it had only one 
hind leg, and an unusually short tail. I was quite certain that the 
other leg had not been left in the uterus, and could not account 
for the singular lusus naturce , unless it was the effect of a disease 
under which the mother had been labouring for four or five months 
previous to my seeing her, and which had deprived her of one fore 
and two hind feet, taking them off at the fetlock joint : about two- 
thirds of the tail, and nearly all the off ear, were also gone, and 
the animal was in a very unhealthy state. 
MR. CHERRY IN REPLY TO MR. WHITTLE. 
To the Editor of “ The Veterinarian .” 
Sir, — I CANNOT but express my regret that a letter so entirely 
out of place should have appeared in the last number of your 
Journal, as that bearing the signature of “ W. Whittle.” What 
may be its object or its point I cannot clearly understand, unless it 
be that the writer has consented to allow his name to be used to 
give utterance to dull hacknied phrases which have long ceased 
to have any meaning ; for dull of comprehension must I be, after 
being used to the sound of every tinkling bell for more than 
twenty years, not to be able to distinguish the ring of the metal, 
cracked though it be, whatever may be the clapper that elicits 
the sound. 
