Here is what I suspect you are seeing: http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG2793 > Cystic ear wax (ceruminous) glands can look like little black dots, > but they generally don't cause any major problems. A true neoplasm > of the cerumonous glands looks like a growth, and wil occlude the ear > canal. Anothe possibility are dilated blood vessels (which might > explain the bleeding) or a small benign vascular tumor. maybe: http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG9800 maybe: http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG119 useful to remember: http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=YG2624 Ear mites are very clear; you spot them under a microscope from the motion. It is possible to have spotting from an ear mite infection if what is being seen are blood speckles. Time to see the vet! Oh, Selina, I want to get that book now! Your behavioral idea is intriguing. Vastly asymmetrical head coloration is often associated with aortic malformation. The same early fetal cells which develop into the aorta and other structures is also involved in the bilateral match. Ages ago -- has to be at least 15 years ago -- there was a Science Times article in the NY Times and sadly I have lost it. The piece was on a whole range of medical conditions which are genetically linked to types of lack of symmetry. [Posted in FML issue 4688]