The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-12
How Laws Of Heredity
Arf Being Worked Out

weather. There are more differences
indeed among the guinea pigs than
among either the mice or rabbits. but
in all classes there are differences
enough to establish the question of
inheritance and show how this. that
or the other Characteristic has or has
not been transmitted One of the most
curious results of these investigations
has been the evolution of a race of
guinea pigs with four toes where or
dinarily guinea pig has but three
a curious popularity whose appearance
in Father Pig and subsequent trans
mission through. series of genera
lions is an occurrence that. so far. can
be explained only by the theory that
Mother Pig, far back in her unknown
ancestry. had had a similarly four
toed progenitor.
Every creature in this unique scien-
tific menagerie has an established ped
igree. and the record in which the
scientist sets down the birth and life
history of the animals under his
charge has, during the last three years.
included something over 1900 entries
This record includes a picture of the
subject itself. rough outline draw
ing, on which are recorded-somewhat
as is done on typical drawing of the
human figure when a new recruit en-
ters the United States army or navy
of that particular Individual Each an
fmal. moreover. IS a recognizable per
sonality IN the eyes of the scientist.
who can tell you it's genealogy as
promptly as a college of heraldry can
trace human family tree and doubt
less much more accurately.
Pigs Don't Like It.
Naturally the keeper of this curious
menagerie becomes very familiar with the
n of tIrtrn oil 81
more or less tame but each refining
withal more or less personal attitude of
mind toward being picked up by an alien
hand and having it's fur measured with
bit of tape or its eyes examined for traces
of inherited color. None of the guinea
pigs appear to enjoy this familiarity, al
though it is equally evident that they are
not in the least terrified by it. The rab-
bits, on the other hand, like being petted
and the little white or gray mice, once
you have succeeded in catching them by
rect scientific manner of catching Z
mouse-make no further resistance but
submit with grave philosophy to the in
terrogations of science
One of the most interesting creatures
In the collection Is the Waiting mouse
who comes from Japan and whose great
recreation is to spin round and round and
round. like a Dancing Dervish. in one
direction until he gets tired, and then to
spin round and round and round in the
other. The Waiting mouse, moreover
appears Intoxicated Wllen ne Walks ana
the idea that straight line is the short
est distance between two points has evil
IDENTIFY never occurred to his philosophy In
mating sthe waltzing mouse proves for
animals exactly what Mendel's expert
ments with the peas proved for plants.
His descendants, provided he is mated
with normal mouse with no taste
whatever for waltzing are all normal and
so also are their descendants so long as
there Is no mating with another mouse
who has the latent Inherited taste for
waltzing. But when both parents have
such an inheritance, one out of every four
of their descendants will take it's recrea-
ton by spinning round and round and
round in the ancestral fashion.
1.-the practical utility of such lines of
experiment Hes. obviously in improving
the breed of various domestic animals.
but the little Harvard mena gerie is also
working out problems of great conse-
quence IN heredity in general-a question
of the greatest Importance when one
realizes how vital in our modern civiliza-
ton are ctr individual ipheritances either
of disease2or of character.