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variety or even a new species, and which is endowed with 
the power of impressing its likeness upon its offspring. 
We may designate this phenomenon as the prepotency of 
the great variant. The ancon ram, the japanned or black 
shouldered peacock, and the Mauchamp merino lamb have 
appeared suddenly and have manifested this remarkable 
characteristic. 
“Towards the end of the last century, Seth Wight possessed a 
small farm on the banks of the Charles River, in the town of Dover 
and the state of Massachusetts, about sixteen miles from Boston, 
and kept a small flock composed of fifteen ewes and one ram. 
In the year 1791, one of the ewes produced a lamb of singular 
appearance. Hence proceeded a strongly marked variety in this 
species of animals, before unknown in the world. The chief charac 
teristics of this breed are the length of the back, the shortness of 
the legs, and more especially the crookedness of the forelegs, which 
causes them to appear like elbows and to turn their feet inward 
while walking. It is also distinguished by the greater looseness of 
the articulations and the diminished size of the bones, and the com 
paratively flabby condition of the sub-scapularic muscles. To this 
variety, the name of the otter breed was given, probably from a real 
or imaginary resemblance to that animal in the shortness of the legs 
and the length of the back. Dr. Shattuck, who dissected a speci 
men, gave the breed the name of Ancon (Greek — elbow), on account 
of the elbow-like projection of the crooked forelegs. When this 
variety first appeared, it seems to have been at once obvious that 
it would be well, if possible, to have a breed of such animals. They 
could neither run nor jump like other sheep. Hence the breed of 
ancons was expected to be a valuable acquisition on account of their 
being less able than others to get over fences. In New England, 
beyond which they have rarely migrated, there are few commons, 
no hedges, no shepherds, and no dogs whose business it was to 
watch flocks. The small freehold estates were enclosed with fences 
of wood and stone, frequently too low to prevent active sheep from 
breaking out of pasture into grounds under cultivation. Hopes were 
entertained that this evil would be remedied by the ancon breed of 
sheep. Hence, by the advice of some of his neighbours, Seth Wight 
killed his former ram and kept the young one for breeding. In the 
first season, one or two lambs were yeaned in his likeness ; in the fol 
lowing years a number more. The singularity of form seems to be 
confined in the blood. When both parents are of the otter or ancon 
breed, the descendants inherit their peculiar appearance and pro 
portions of form. I have learned of but one questionable case of