This was the real beginning of the trotting breed of horses. During the later years of the life of Hambletonian 10 and subsequent to his death his sons were patronized by owners of well-bred and speedy mares. The more successful of these sons naturally received heavy stud patronage as long as they remained serviceable. When the grandsons of Hambletonian 10, with two generations of speed-producing sires back of them and out of selected female ancestry, came into service, it was found that in many instances they sired faster colts than did their sires or grand sire. Only in more recent years were representatives of popular families used for stud purposes in earlier life. In view of these facts, I deem it unfair to base a conclusion upon a comparison of two results, one of which (13 years as the average age at time of service of sires in four generations back of horses in the 2.10 list) comes largely from an investigation of the formative period of the breed, while the other (9.43 years as the average age at time of service of immediate sires of average horses) mainly refers to more recent conditions. If the figures 9.43 and 13.00 had been derived by similar means their value would be unquestionable. A really fair comparison would demand the same procedure in one case as in the other. Either all sires in the four generations of the thousand horses should be used or else only the immediate sires of those in the 2.10 list. Assuming 9.43 to be correct for the average age of the sires when they produced the first one thousand horses in the Index Digest, I have attempted to secure a similar figure for the immediate sires of the horses in the 2.10 trotting list as published in "Yearbook," Volume 22. The list published in that volume contains 279 horses. In thirty cases the records failed to show the horse's age. In seven cases the age of the sire is not given. This leaves 242 of the 279 in the list for which the ages are shown. Below are given two extremes and the average for 242 horses regarding which there exists no uncertainty: Horse Foaled Age of Sire at Time of Service Sire Sire foaled Wentworth 2.04%1⁄2 1 was sired by 2 year old stallion 11 were sired by 3 year old stallions Taking 9.43 years as the average age of sires of average horses and substituting 14 by 9.41 years as the average age of sires of 2.10 trotting horses, it is evident that the records do not reveal any superiority of the old sire over the younger one. F. R. MARSHALL. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. THE OCCURRENCE OF BATRACHOCEPS ATTENUATUS AND AUTODAX LUGUBRIS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RECENTLY the salamander Autodax lugubris has been found near Los Angeles, Cal.1 So far as I know, until this animal was reported no salamanders were known to live in southern California out from the mountains, although in the mountains. and cañons of the foothills here and there as far as San Diego, another characteristic Pacific-coast salamander, Diemyctylus 1 Miller, L. H., Aм. Nat., Vol. XL, pp. 741-742. This was the real beginning of the trotting breed of horses. During the later years of the life of Hambletonian 10 and subsequent to his death his sons were patronized by owners of well-bred and speedy mares. The more successful of these sons naturally received heavy stud patronage as long as they remained serviceable. When the grandsons of Hambletonian 10, with two generations of speed-producing sires back of them and out of selected female ancestry, came into service, it was found that in many instances they sired faster colts than did their sires or grand sire. Only in more recent years were representatives of popular families used for stud purposes in earlier life. In view of these facts, I deem it unfair to base a conclusion upon a comparison of two results, one of which (13 years as the average age at time of service of sires in four generations back of horses in the 2.10 list) comes largely from an investigation of the formative period of the breed, while the other (9.43 years as the average age at time of service of immediate sires of average horses) mainly refers to more recent conditions. If the figures 9.43 and 13.00 had been derived by similar means their value would be unquestionable. A really fair comparison would demand the same procedure in one case as in the other. Either all sires in the four generations of the thousand horses should be used or else only the immediate sires of those in the 2.10 list. Assuming 9.43 to be correct for the average age of the sires when they produced the first one thousand horses in the Index Digest, I have attempted to secure a similar figure for the immediate sires of the horses in the 2.10 trotting list as published in "Yearbook," Volume 22. The list published in that volume contains 279 horses. In thirty cases the records failed to show the horse's age. In seven cases the age of the sire is not given. This leaves 242 of the 279 in the list for which the ages are shown. Below are given two extremes and the average for 242 horses regarding which there exists no uncertainty: Age of Sire at Time of Service Horse Foaled Sire Sire foaled Wentworth 2.04%2 1 was sired by 2 year old stallion 11 were sired by 3 year old stallions Taking 9.43 years as the average age of sires of average horses and substituting 14 by 9.41 years as the average age of sires of 2.10 trotting horses, it is evident that the records do not reveal any superiority of the old sire over the younger one. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. F. R. MARSHALL. THE OCCURRENCE OF BATRACHOCEPS ATTENUATUS AND AUTODAX LUGUBRIS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RECENTLY the salamander Autodax lugubris has been found near Los Angeles, Cal.1 So far as I know, until this animal was reported no salamanders were known to live in southern California out from the mountains, although in the mountains. and cañons of the foothills here and there as far as San Diego, another characteristic Pacific-coast salamander, Diemyctylus 1 Miller, L. H., AM. NAT., Vol. XL, pp. 741-742. torosus, has long been known. I have found it commonly in a number of cañons of the San Gabriel range and heard of it in other parts of southern California; in some places it seems to be quite abundant. Two years ago last spring, just after the winter rains were over, a salamander was brought into the laboratory. It had been found in a garden near an orange orchard in Claremont, Cal., about four miles from permanent flowing water of the mountains and several hundred feet above subterranean water; the only water that could come to it was from rains and from irrigation. It was a full-grown specimen of Batrachoceps attenuatus. Some weeks later in the early part of June another full-grown specimen was brought in from another locality near Claremont. This time it was from a large, dry, uncultivated area and was found under a stone. A few hundred feet from the place where it was found there was a deep well. I afterward learned that ten or more years earlier a pond of considerable extent had covered this place. During the winter of 1906-7 two small salamanders were sent to me from San Diego. They were half-grown B. attenuatus. The identification of these four specimens extends the known range of this species some hundreds of miles. In May of this year a number of other salamanders were obtained from well up in the mountains north of Claremont, a number of specimens of B. attenuatus and two full-grown specimens of Autodax lugubris. The specimens of Autodax were found in a narrow crevice in a high rocky wall. This sort of a location is quite different from the other places where Autodax has been found. Judging from the character of the land and water of Lower California it seems quite probable that one or all of the species mentioned in this note may occur farther south than San Diego. WILLIAM A. HILTON. POMONA COLLEGE, CLAREMONT, CAL. |