cultural Society of England.-I am, dear Mr. Dent, yours very BRITISH DAIRY FARMERS'. The usual mouthly Council meeting was held on Tuesday, March 2nd, at the offices, 446, Strand. Present: Lord Chesham (vice-president) in the chair, Mr. J. Treadwell, Mr. George Simpson, Mr. T. Nuttall, Mr. H. Tait, Dr. Voelcker, Messrs. E. C. and A. Tisdall, Mr. H. Simmons, Mr. R. Dale, Mr. H. S. Holmes-Pegler, hon. sec., and the assistant secretary, Mr. F. Morrison. Mr. G. F. Roumieu, of Brunswick House, Farnham, was elected a member of the Council, in place of the Hon. E. K. Coke, retired. Considerable discussion took place as to the exact meaning of the amendment passed at the last meeting with reference to the awards in the Leghorn poultry prizes, at the Dairy Show. The question was at length definitely settled by a proposition of Mr. Nuttall's, seconded by Mr. Simpson, and carried, that Mr. Gibbs should receive the first prize, Mrs. Troughtou the second, and Bradbury Brothers the trird prize, The Hon. Sec. read the report of the Journal Committee, which stated that the committee had met twice and discussed the subjects for the third volume of the Journal, In consequence of a letter received from Mr. G. T. Day, of Horsford Hall, Norwich, suggesting that members be invited to contribute their observations upon the causes of abortion in cows, with the view of a paper being devoted to that subject in the Journal, the committee proposed to print and circulate a series of questions, which Professor Axe had undertaken to draw up, for replies and observations to be furnished thereon. A part of the bye-laws which had been drawn up by the committee were read, and a resolution passed that, when completed, the whole should be printed, and a draft copy sent to each member of the Council for discussion at the next monthly meeting. The HON. SEC. reported that the Show Committee had met twice, and completed the stock portion of the prize sheet. It was stated that the question of milking prizes had been carefully considered, with a view to adopt the recommendations made by Lord Richard Brown; and it was proposed to take into account, in awarding these prizes, not quantity alone, but also quality, and length of time since calving; Dr. Voelcker having kindly undertaken to investigate and carefully test each sample of milk entering into competition. The committee proposed to considerably increase the number of milking prizes, distributing them according to the following classification :-Shorthorus, Ayrshires, Jerseys and Guernseys, Kerrys, and Dutch or Holstein cattle, with any other pure or crossed or mixed breeds; and awarding in some cases a first and second prize; also to offer a champion prize to be competed for by the whole collectively; the milking competition for heifers to be arranged as last year, only adding a second prize. The draft proof of the stock prizes was then read and discussed at length; and, after several alterations and additions, adopted. The next meeting of the Show Committee was fixed for Monday, March 15th, at four o'clock. HIGLHAND AND AGRICULTURAL. The monthly meeting of the directors of this society was held on Wednesday, March 3, in their chambers at Edinburgh. Mr. Smith, Stevenson Mains, in the chair. The Board approved of the examinations in agriculture and forestry being held on the 29th, 30th, and 31st current, candidates being required to lodge intimation on or before the 15th. It was remitted to the secretary to arrange the days for the examination of candidates for the Society's veterinary certificate. The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Walker, general manager of the North British Railway, stating that the company have secured possession of the necessary land for additional accommodation at Kelso, and that the plan is in course of preparation by their engineer. The Secretary reported that Messrs. Thomas Penny, Bartlehill; John Usher, Stodrig; and Adam Smith, Stevenson Mains (the judges appointed to select the stallion to serve in the district connected with the Kelso Show) had, at the competition at Glasgow ou the 24th February, awarded the prize of £150 to Mr. Joseph Bullock, Cockmuir, Springburn, for his bay horse " Zulu." The charge for service to be £2, and groom's fee 2s. 6d., to be paid at the end of the season, and £2 extra for every foul. The horse to be shown at Kelso market on the first Friday in April, and to commence then to travel the district-the counties of Berwick, Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles. The travelling to cease on 10th July, viz., 30th July. but the horse to remain at Kelso till after the general show― It was resolved that Galloway cattle at the Stirling Show in 1881 must he entered in the Herd Book, or the exhibitor must produce evidence that his animal is eligible to be entered therein. SHORTHORN. A meeting of the Council of this Society was held at the Society's Rooms, 12, Hanover Square, W., on Tuesday, the 2nd March. Present: Lord Skelmersdale (in the chair), the Earl of Bective, M.P., Mr. B. St. John Ackers, Mr. H. Chandos-Pole-Gell, Mr. D. M'Intosh, Mr. E. W. Meade-Waldo, Mr. H. J. Sheldon, and Mr. Jacob Wilson. The following new members were elected :- Gordon, Mrs., Cluny Castle, Aberdeen. EDITING COMMITTEE. Mr. H. CHANDOS-POLE-GELL reported that 5,422 entries had been received for insertion in Volume 26 of the Herd-book-viz., 1,635 buils and 3,787 cows. That the Committee had considered the Solicitor's re port and the Judge's sentence in the case of Reg. v. Hopkins, copies of which they recommended should be sent to the members of the Society. That the Committee had had before them a catalogne and papers proving that the progenitress of an animal entered in Volume 25 of the Herd-book could be traced further back for four generations, and such evidence having been corroborated by entries in the fifth volume of the Herd-book, the Committee had allowed such additional crosses to be added. That a communication had been received from a member of the Society recommending a better style of binding for the Herd-book. The Committee, however, recommended that the present style of binding be continued, as many members liked to rebiud their volumes. That the Committee had considered an estimate from Messrs. Taylor and Francia, the Society's printers, for printing the Herd-book, and they recommended the Council to accept this estimate, which was slightly below the estimate for the past five volumes. The report was adopted. GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEK. Lord SKELMERSDALE reported that the accounts for the month of February had been examined by Messrs. Quilter, Ball, and Co, and the Committee, and were found to be correct. That the secretary's petty cash account had been examined and passed, and showed an expenditure of £4 10s. 9d. during the past month. That the receipts for the same periods had been £524 7s., the balance of the Society's current account at the banker's being £872 3s. 6d., and that the Committee recommend the cheques be drawn for various accounts and salaries amounting to £279 3s. 2d. That the Committee had had before them statements in writing of a dispute which had arisen between two members of the Society. The parties to this dispute desire to refer it to the Council for arbitrament under Bye-law No. 26, and the Committee were of opinion that prima facie the case was one which the Council might properly undertake. This report was adopted. The following report was presented by the Society's solicitor, with refereace to the proceedings in the case of the Queen against Hopkins, at the Winter Assizes held at Warwick, on the 18th of February last :-Henry Joseph Hopkins, formerly of Moulton Grange, near Northampton, and afterwards of Yeltertoft, near Rugby, farmer, was tried before the Lord Chief Justice for receiving money under false pretences. The prosecution was conducted by the Birmingham Agricultural Exhibition Society, Hopkins exhibited at the Shorthorn Show of the said Society in March, 1875, a bull called Grand Patriot 2nd, and he represented that this bull was a pure-bred Shorthorn bull, and certified that it had a pedigree of five crosses. The bull gained a prize of twenty pounds. It was afterwards discovered that the bull was not a pure-bred bull, and that the pedigree was fabricated by Hopkins, and the charge in the indictment was for fabrication of this false pedigree and the receiving the prize of twenty pounds awarded on the faith of that pedigree. Hopkins was found guilty, with a recommendation to mercy, and was sentenced to imprisonment, with hard labour, for three calendar months. A letter from the President of the Society, Colonel Kingscote, C.B., M.P., was read, expressing his regret that owing to urgent duties at the House of Commous, he was prevented from presiding over the meeting; aud stating that had he been present, he intended moving that a substantial grant should be made to the Birmingham Agricultural Exhibition Society to assist them in defraying the costs of this important prosecution; and further urging the Council to take the matter into consideration. A letter from Mr. Edward Bowly, a member of the Council, to the same purport, was also read. Thereupon, on the motion of Mr. JACOB WILSON seconded by Mr. DAVID M'INTOSH, it was unanimously resolved : "the That, as one of the principal objects of this Society maintaining unimpaired the purity of the breed of cattle known as Shorthorns," the sum of £500 be paid to the Birmingham Agricultural Exhibition Society as a contribution towards the costs incurred by that Society in this prosecution. Mr. H. Chandos-Pole-Gell presented to the Society's library a copy of the last volume of the Clydesdale Stud Book. The next meeting of the Council was fixed for Tuesday, April 6, at 3.30 p.m. The dispute between two members of the Society referred to the Council for arbitrament, was then taken into consideration. The noble Chairman, Lord SKELMERSDALE, hereupon stated that, as he was interested in this dispute, he begged to retire from the meeting. Upon the notion of Mr. H. CHANDOS-POLE-GELL, seconded by Mr. B. ST. JOHN ACKERS, the Earl of BECTIVE, M.P., was voted to the chair. The bye-laws of the Society requiring that on the Council undertaking the arbitrament of any dispute, the case should first be submitted to a Committee, who should investigate the facts, and report thereon to the Council at the next meeting, the Council thereupon resolved itself into a Committee, and considered the facts of the dispute in question. The report of this Special Committee will be presented to the Council at its meeting on April 6th next. YORKSHIRE. A meeting of the Council of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society was held on March 4, the Hon. Admiral Duncombe in the chair. The SECRETARY (Mr. Marshall Stephenson) reported that the society's transactions for the past half-year had been printed, a copy of which was now being issued to every member. The Show Sites Committee had met on the 12th of February, to opeu tenders for the timber required in the society's showyard at Barnsley, and had unanimously decided to accept the tender of Messrs. 'R. Wade, Son, and Co., of Hull. Since the last meeting of the council there had been communication with the Local Committee at Barosley as to the provision of a railway siding direct on to the show ground for the delivery of all stock and implements sent for exhibition to the Barnsley meeting, and although final arrangements had yet to be concluded with the railway authorities, there was every reason to suppose that this would be carried out. The AUDITOR (Mr. C. M. Luden) reported that he had audited the accounts of the society for the past year, and had found them most regularly and accurately kept. The balance in the society's favour, which in 1878 was reduced to £1,435, was now £3,043. Tenders for the supply of refreshments for the Barnsley Show were opened, and that of Mr. George Dyson, Leeds, was accepted. The tender for the printing of catalogues, &c., of Messrs. Johnson and Tesseyman, of York, was accepted. Mr. J. DENT brought forward the subject of the ages in the cattle classes, and gave notice that at the next meeting of the council he should move the following resolution :-"That the Royal Agricultural Society of Englaud, having passed a res tion that after the show of 1881, the cattle classes in the prize-sheet be arranged according to the years in which the animals are born, without reference to any other date, it appears desirable that for the sake of uniformity the same rule should be adopted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society." Farmers' Clubs. CENTRAL. The usual monthly meeting of the Farmers' Club was held on Monday, March 1, at the Inns of Court Hotel, Mr. J. Treadwell presiding. The subject appointed for discussion was Hereditary Diseases in Cart Horses, the introducer being Professor Pritchard, of the Royal Veterinary College. The CHAIRMAN said: Gentlemen,-The subject for discussion seems to me a very appropriate one, especially as the Horse Show to be held in the Agricultural Ifall commences this evening under the auspices of the English Cart Horse Society, which I might almost venture to call a brauch of our own Club, its formation having originated in the reading of a paper before the Club by Mr. Frederick Street, whose duties at the Hall will, I fear, prevent him from taking part in the discussion. I have no doubt that we shall have a good paper from a gentleman who has had so much experience as Professor Pritchard has had with regard to the diseases of horses, and as there are so many gentlem en present who take great interest in the subject, I trust we shall also have a good discussion. Professor PRITCHARD said: Gentlemen,-I wish to preface my paper by remarking that, owing to circumstances over which I had no control, I have been obliged to devote but very little time to the preparation of my paper, and I am afraid it will appear rather meagre; but if I can supplement it in any way, and if it shall give rise to a good discussion, and one which is calculated to improve the position of the cart horse in this country, however poor my paper may be, something will, I trust, have been done which will, to a certain extent, be creditable to the Club. Professor Pritchard then read as follows: I think I shall best further the object I have in view in bringing this paper before you, namely, the improvement of the health and usefulness of our cart horses, by at once stating that I am desirous, if only to a slight degree, of arousing the breeders of such animals to a knowledge of the folly, if not the mischief, they incur when carelessly using sires and dams tainted with hereditary disease. I shall elect to do this by making a few general comments upon the subject of hereditary predisposition, drawing attention to phenomena in connection therewith, by speaking particu larly of some of the diseases which are rife among our cart horses owing mainly to hereditary taint, which I am bold enough to think might be to a very large extent eradicated, and by venturing to suggest measures for the guidance of present and future breeders which I believe worthy of consideration. I ful y hope that what I shall advance will have the effect of giving rise to a thorough ventilation of the subject by creating a warm and practically useful discussion. There can, I think, be no donot existing on the mind of any resonable person who thinks at alt for himself, that there is an hereditary tendency in many of the qualities of both man and the lower animals both of a mental and physical character; in other words, that dams and sires do transmit to their young -at least to some extent, and in many instances to a very great degree-colour, particular marks, as stars on the forehead, white on the legs, &c., size, form, physique, mental capability, temperament, and even virtues and vices. horses in no way form any exception to the rule; many instances might be adduced, but a 'ew will suffice. For generations the grey colour of the "chanticleers" and lopped ears of the Melbournes" were handed down; how frequently a Roman-nosed foal is the progeny of a similar shaped sire, a bad tempered one the offspring of an irritable or vicious din, And a good stager " and the horse possessed of great speed the produce of the like, are facts which all breeders of horse are acquainted with. So marked is this hereditary tendency that families of horses may be, by those acquainted in such matters, readily recognised, and even the peculiarities of a family may be detected. With these facts before us, and knowing that they are but a minimum of what might be advanced, I think we must come to the conclusion that what occurs in connection with the conformation, the functional capability, or mental power of an animal under ordinary normal circumstances, may, and absolutely does, happen when the system of the parent or parents is or are affected with certain forms of disease. There are maladies which, from the fact of their making their appearance, and prevailing for a period of some length in a breed of animals, have been mistaken for those of hereditary character, but which have proved to be, on thorough and complete investigation, entirely due to surrounding circumstances quite extraneous and foreign to hereditary predisposition, and circumstances which, when understood, can easily be combated; but by the expression that a disease is hereditary, we mean that the malady, or a predisposition to such malady, may be transmitted from the parent to the offspring, and its strict meaning I limit to this. It is, however, a subject which admits of great difference of opinion, and one a thorough ventilation of which is attended with much difficulty. However, I take it that on this occasion the definition will be sufficient for my purpose. Hereditary disease may be transmitted by the dam or the sire of the progeny, and usually gives evidence of its existence early in life, although many exceptions to this rule occur, attributable to the kind of general treatment under which the animal is placed; for example, a horse hereditarily predisposed to roaring, suffering from the effects of severe cold early in life becomes a roarer, while another so predisposed, who escapes the acute attack of illness, probably remains for years without giving evidence of his infirmity. In the event of both parents being tainted there is even a greater probability of the particular malady soon making itself manifest, and appearing in a more decided manner. In many cases it has been found not to make its appearance in successive generations, as if it were coguate, but to pass through one, or even more, without showing any signs of the existence of due to the fact of the animal being subjected to circumsuch a predisposition; it may be, and probably frequently is, stances unfavourable to the elaboration of the embryonic morbid condition which nevertheless was present. In cases where hereditary disease so disappears for a time, the tendency and its phenomena are nevertheless transmitted, and will, even when care has been taken to select the animals from which to breed, to use the common expression "throw back" to a remote existence, and occasionally become apparent with all their characteristics. To deal with the whole of the hereditary diseases which are met with in our cart horses would form subject-matter sufficient for a number of papers. I shall, therefore, confine my remarks, and these must be of a general nature, to a few of those most frequently occurring, namely, bony enlargements, as seen in "apavin," "splint," and "ringbone," roaring and whistling, "cataract," and ossification of the lateral cartilage of the foot, or, as it is commonly termed, sidebone." A bone spavin consists of a bony deposition on the inner and lower part of the hock, in some cases inclined to the front, in others to the back of the joint. It is usually attended during its p.oduction with inflammation of the structures in the immediate vicinity, and with consequent pain and lameness. The exciting causes giving rise to it are concussion, sprain, injury from external violence, over-exertion, &c. The disease is of a very serious nature, and very frequently gives rise to permanent defective hock action, if not also to decided painful lameness. A "splint," a transformation of the ligamentous tissue, uniting the splint bone with the cannon bone, is commonly associated with a bony enlargement on the inner or outer, more commonly the former, surface of the leg a little below the knee. They are very common in horses' legs, and frequently exist without giving rise to any apparent inconvenience to the animal, although in many cases during the process of formation they give rise to acute lameness, while in a few, owing to the size or position of the enlargement, they occasion incurable lameness. The exciting canses of this disease are similar to those of spavin. A ringbone is a bony enlargement in the region of the coronet, commonly in front, but not unfrequently inclined to one side of this portion of the limb. It occurs to both the hind and fore legs; but in cart horses it is more usually seen in the hind. It frequently gives rise to lameness, and in some instances of a permanent nature. Its exciting causes are similar to those of the two previously named maladies. Each and all of these bony enlargements, although they may decrease in size to some extent, are of a permanent character, and remain throughout the animal's lifetime. Roaring and whistling are, unusual sounds made by the horse during the act of inspiration due to the existence of some impediment to the passage of air towards the lungs; this impediment may be produced in a number of ways, but in a very large majority of cases it is attributable to paralysis affecting the muscles, which, under ordinary circumstances, act to increase the area of the entrance to the windpipe-a condition which very frequently seriously interferes with the animal's powers of endurance. The exciting causes are cartarrh, laryngitis, strangles, influenza, &c. A cataract is on opacity of either the capsule or of the crystalline lens of the eye, which may arise from injury or any other accidental cause of severe inflammation of the eye, but in a very large majority of cases is owing to a systematic malady designated, among other names, constitutional ophthalmia. On this account, however small the opacity should be, its existence should be dealt with as a very suspicious circumstance. In many instances it is associated with other structural affections of the eye, and then is easily recognized; but it not unfrequently happens that the organ in other respects is healthy in appearance, when, particularly if the cataract be small, the ability of an expert is needed to detect its presence. Sidebone is a disease affecting the lateral cartilage of the foot. The basement structure of the posterior half of the horse's foot consists of cartilage, in order that an amount of elasticity, or capability to yield, should be possessed by this part. In the above named disease this cartilage becomes either partially or totally converted into bone. This condition is seen in both fore and hind feet, but it is far more frequently present in the fore, and it is rife in cart horses. Its existence may be easily detected by manipulating the back parts of the corouets in close proximity to the hoof, which under healthy circumstances are pliable, and readily yield to pressure, but are hard and unyie'ding when ossification has taken place. It commonly gives rise to lameness, and frequently of a permanent nature, particularly if the animal's feet have a tendency to be flat and low at the heels. The principal exciting causes to this pathological condition are injury from external violence and concussion. I am of opinion, and I believe that it is generally admitted on the part of experts, that each and all of these maladies may affect the horse purely as a consequence of accidental circumstances; a horse may become affected with bony enlargements in any portion of his skeleton, as the result of a local injury; with cataract 88 a consequence of severe inflammatory action following upon the introduction of some foreign agent on to the front of the eye, with sidebone as the result of a tread by the other foot, or he may become a roarer or a whistler, owing to the presence of a polypus in his nostril, or to fracture of the rings oft he windpipe; in all such like cases animals may be bred from without any chance of the defect, whatever it may be, being transmitted to the offspring; but while knowing this, the fact that all these diseases are, in a very large majority of cases, the result of hereditary disposition, must not be overlooked; and I would strongly counsel all breeders of horses (who must not forget that it costs quite as much to rear an unsound and low-priced yearling as it does a sound and vauable one), that unless it is unquestionably known that the stallion or mare, in which exists any of the forenamed defects pos-essed such defects simply and purely from accidental causes, such animals should be abandoned for breeding purposes. It is an undeniable fact that in many cases the mare is chosen for breeding because she is old and worn out for further working purposes; or simply because from having possessed her for a long time her owner has become attached to her, and dislikes the idea of having her destroyed (circumtances such as these should be of the last consideration), and thus it is that such maladies as I have spoken of, and others, are found affecting our horses far more frequently than would b so were better judgment exercised. Speaking more especially of sidebone, I am glad to know that recently some care has been taken not to breed from animals so affected, but I am surprised at the little importance attached by many individuals, and men of some considerable experience too, to this banelul condition of the horse's foot, many looking upon it almost as a necessary consequence in connection with a eart horse's fore foot; and it is argued that on account of the kind of work which the animal is called upon to perform, and also to the great weight of his body, this affection is an unavoidable evil. I, on the other hand, believe that its frequent occurrence in this class of horse is due to hereditary taint, and am firmly of opinion that if as much care were taken in selecting the sire or dam of the cart horse, with regard to this disease, as is observed in respect to other breeds of horses, although it may take years to bring about, it would be as uncommon in the foot of the heavy draught animal as in that of the hunter or the hackney. Mr. R. GARRETT (Carleton Hall, Saxmundham) said that he much appreciated what Professor Pritchard had said about the hereditary diseases of cart-horses; but that there was a very common source of lameness in horses on which the Professor had not touched, connected with the internal structure of the foot. He did not know whether this was an omission ou the part of the Professor. He alluded more particularly to what was known as navicular lameness, and he was anxious to be informed whether this, associated as it usually is with a narrow contracted hoof, came under the denomination of hereditary diseases, Mr. J. WOOD (Ockley Manor, Keymer, Sussex) said the paper appeared to him a very useful one, and he hoped it would make them all more careful in selecting horses for breeding. Such was the nature of the diseases which most affected horses, that though he had heard of them for a great many years he must candidly confess he was unable to detect them, and it was not always that persons in his position had an opportunity of consulting a veterinary surgeon. He thought it would be well if there were some publication enabling them by means of a diagram to inform themselves of the presence of those defects. As he understood the matter, Davicular disease was caused by injury to the tendon, so that it was not hereditary. He would be glad to have that point dealt with rather more distinctly. He would be glad if the Professor would supply them with some kind of diagram for detecting these diseases. He thought it was of national importance that the breeding from animals with hereditary defects should be checked by legislative measures, and that no sire should be allowed to cover a mare not belonging to his owner without an annual license, which should contain a veterinary certificate with a list of certain hereditary defects such sire possesses or are free from. Mr. GEORGE STREET (Maulden, Ampthill), said he did not quite agree with the last speaker on one point. He thought that almost everybody who had bought a horse, or a number of horses, must know something about those diseases which were referred to in the paper, and it struck him that when those who purchased paid dearly for their whistle they were more likely to remember marks upon animals than they would be from seeing them in any diagrams which might he placed before them. He thought the chief difficulty of a discussion on the paper was that Professor Pritchard had put before them a number of hereditary diseases which had so long been known as such there was really very little to discuss. He knew, indeed, that there was a difference of opinion as to whether or not some of those diseases were hereditary ones or not. Just by way of exciting a little discussion on that subject, he would remark that on one occasion he bought a young horse which evidently had a bad cold, which, alter a short time, developed into ophthalmia, the result being that some three or four horses, previously healthy, fell into the same condition. He would be glad if the Professor would state whether he considered that horses which thus took ophthalmia through accidental contact with one that had been freshly introduced into the stable would propagate it. His own experience tended to show the contrary. Then, again, with regard to splint. Although he had frequently seen splints on young horses, and had known many horses to be lame from that cause, he had seldom found old horses affected by those "bony enlargements," which the Professor said "could not be got rid o when once formed." With respect to sidebones, he would not be so presumptuous as to set up his own opinion against that of such a man as Professor Pritchard, or any of his learned brethren, and he quite agreed with them that to a very con siderable extent that disease might be propagated, and that the danger of that ought to be carefully avoided. But there was one fact which had struck him very forcibly, and that was that the heavy horses which were constantly used along the stones in towns almost invariably had sidebones, while the same kind of horses used on farms were not half as much subject to them. Further, he would remark that whereas such horses when used over stones, frequently became lame, he had never scarcely known an instance of that kind on his own farm. That appeared to him to show that although that disease might be, and, he believed, was hereditary, and although they ought to be careful to avoid breeding with horses or mares which had sidebones, yet that disease might frequently have been caused by concussion, in consequence of the manner in which the horse was used. Mr. FINLAY DUN (2, Portland Place, W.) said he was sure the Club was very much indebted to Professor Pritchard for bringing before it so useful and practical a paper on a subject which was really of great importance, not only to agricul turists and stock-breeders, but also to men of science. It certainly appeared very singular that so minute a thing as the ovum, and so small an amount of fluid as was given off for the production of the horse, should so form and shape itself that out of that small beginning sprang diseases which were de veloped years afterwards; that there was impressed upon the ovum of the female, or contained in the spermatic fluid of the male, powers of development and functions which operated for weal or for woe, and led to an approach to absolute per fection of form, or the reverse. There could be no doubt that domestication has to a great extent intensified the tendency to these diseases in horses. In a state of nature animals were certainly subject to some adverse conditions; but owing to the survival of the fittest among wild native herds of horses diseased and weakly animals were prevented from propagating their species, and the race became more vigorous and capable of enduring greater hardships. There was another way in which domestication told powerfully in favour of the development of hereditary disease. They were very apt, as Professor Pritchard had reminded them, to be too fond of particular animals, and to cling to them against their better judgment for breeding purposes, instead of getting rid of them in favour of others which were more desirable. There was also a tendency among breeders generally to breed in and in, and that increased the amount of hereditary disease. There being for instance, a very slight taint in a family, two members were brought together, and the result was that imperfectious diseases and tendency to oise ses were perpetuated. Then, again among domesticated animal, the young ones were sometimes kept artificially, and early forcing was likely to intensity and increase disease. There was one particular form of disease notably hereditary but not alluded to by Professor Pritchard. A large proportion of underbred horses of the heavier breeds in consequence of early forcing, with careless selection in breeding, had round, soft, badly formed limbs often covered with rough coarse hair. It such subjects have hard work and irregular feeding, attacks of weed are apt to occur,especially after a day's rest. A large amount of food is taken without there being sufficient power of getting rid of the assimilated materials. The hereditary nature of such diseases depended, as the Professor had pointed out, upon certain conformations that were hereditary. There was a cognate disease called “grease,” which he had often found hereditary among animals of weak, lymphatic, faulty constitution. Animals long and light in the carcase and open in the loin had an unhappy hereditary tendency to deranged and relaxed bowels. As regarded domestication, it was curious to notice how influences which had been brought to bear upon one or two generations had modified the type of the race. There had lately been a number of interesting investigations with respect to the weight of the brain of the tame duck as compared with that of the wild duck, which had to fight for its living in order to preserve its existence, and the result was to show that the brain of the wild duck was gener ally double the size of that of the domesticated duck. The wild duck was, in fact, in every way the superior animal. The tame duck was about double the weight of the wild duck, but the brain is only half the weight and imperfectly developed as to grey matter and convolution. The wild bird has constantly to use its faculties; its brain accordingly is bulkier and better; to collect food for itself, and often to fly for it to a great distance, while the tame bird carefully supplied with food has its brain with its perceptive powers and energies dwarfed. Such was one of the results of the recent investigations of Dr. Crichton Brown. Another illustration of the effect of domestication was afforded by a comparison of tame cats with wild ones. The wild cat, living as it did on food of a very concentrated kind, did not require as long an intestinal canal as the tame one, which was accustomed to a good deal of food of soft balky character, the difference in length being something like a yard. If such effects were found to arise from domestication in the case of such animals as he had mentioned, they might reasonably expect to find similar effects produced by domestication in the case of young horses, This showed also how plastic animals were under proper manipulation, while it also testified how careful they should be in their selection for breeding purposes, in order that they might have a race of horses which were sufficiently vigorous and symmetrical, and capable of rendering the services which were required. He would here mention something which had struck him very much in America. Last autumn, while he was looking over some of the arge breeding farms of Kentucky, he saw something like 400 breeding mares on one farm where there was one horse in which he took a special interest, a son of the famous old Blair Athol. Like his sire, this horse was chestnut with white stockings and like him also, he was a little taken in under the knee. That famous horse showed his good breeding in his capability of reproducing himself in his progeny, most of which, whether from chestnut, brown, or black mares were chestnut and had a good deal of white on the face and limbs and although gifted with the speed and staying powers lad a'so the lightness of bone under the knee. One peculiarity which he noticed among the American horses was that they were accustomed to be driven more by word of mouth than English horses. The wild Indian ponies, and many other breeds seemed never to have had a bit in the mouth; they were used to obey by word of command, and that became hereditary as it also is among the Norwegian horses which for generations being unused to the bit can scarcely be got with good mouths. There was another instance of the same kind among the Mexican horses of the Cordilleras. A very long time ago great pains were taken to train some of the stud horses there to Spanish ambling pace, and the result was that He you could now hardly find a horse in that part of America which did not naturally have peculiari ambling movement; it had become fixed and indigenous as it were, in the race. thought that such instances as these held ont to breeders in this country a good hope that if they paid reasonable attention to proper selection the results would be satisfactory. There were two or three points which seemed to him to require morecareful consideration from breeders than they had yet received. He thought that at present there was a tendency to look rather to size and weight than to solid texture. They all knew that the bone of an ordinary cart horse did not weigh anything like as much in proportion to its bulk as the corresponding bone of a thorough-bred. What was wanted was more weight and substance in the boue and firmness of muscle instead of so much soft flesh and encumbering fat. A proper selection for breeding would secure better pace and action. What was the use nowa-days, when there was so much activity in connection with all the business of life, of having a horse that could only go about two miles an hour. They wanted horses that could walk four miles an hour, and it would be quite possible to secure that pace if proper care were taken in the selection of sires. Another matter which well deserved consideration was the securing of good temper and education in the horse. There could be no doubt that the horse might be educated far more than many people had supposed possible. If more pains were ttaken in the early training of these docile and useful anima's ihey would be more serviceable to man and would be less apt to njore themselves. Improved qualities reappeared in a marked degree in the progeny. That was remarkably illustrated in the case of the dog. It was no more difficult to train a sheep dog than it was to train a pointer or setter. The breeds of horses might, by means of training, be considerably improved and the better they were trained the more valuable would be their services. Mr. J. K. FOWLER (The Prebendal Farm, Aylesbury), said some years ago he read a paper in that club, upon "Breeding Facts and Principles," and the main point which he attempted to prove was that the male animal exercised the greatest influence over the external and the female over the internal organisation—a proposition which he thought commended itself at the time to evervone present, and which he believed was in accordance with the paper just read. Since then, and especially during the last year or two, he had been trying to bring that theory still further in practice, especially in connection with his large stock of poultry. In that department he had had an extraordinary proof of the correctness of the theory. During the last year he put some Cochin China hens to a Crevecoeur cock, and the result was that while the externals followed the male, the resemblance to the female in the internal organisation was such that the eggs were of a buff colour although the eggs of the Crevecoeur were white. It was remarkable that the organisation of the voice through the larynx and throat being internal the sounds followed those of the female in a wonderful manner, the bird crowing like a Cochin China. Similar results had been seen with cattle. In the case of Shorthorns, if they bred from a thoroughly good milking cow they would inevitably have good milking offspring, especially if the bull were descended from a deep milking cow. In that case there was, he believed, a tendency to reproduce the female internal organisation to a remarkable extent; and he feared that many breeders of Shorthorns had been so much in the habit of seeing how much flesh they could lay upon animals that they had largely neglected the question of milking capabilities. He thought he had heard Mr. Duckham say much the same with respect to Herefords as he had said in reference to Shorthorns. In horses it was remarkable how the action and movement followed the male. In all their breeds of animals it was most important that they should get the very best male, as well as the best female, that they could obtain-the best ram, the best boar, the best horse from all external appearances, and they might rely upon it that the character of the male animal would produce a very great effect upon the progeny. Professor Pritchard forgot, he thought, to mention curbs in the horse. A curby hock was very easily seen, but he had known persons not object to breeding hunters with curbed hocks. A curbed hoek would, he believed, be almost invariably reproduced. As regarded cart horses he quite agreed with Mr. Finlay Dan that they wanted a more active race of animals; but, unfortunately, in the present day, when horses had a great deal of hair on their legs, they sold on that account for £10 or £20 more than a |