2/2 



R. PARL AND M. R. CURTIS. 



In regard to behavior this bird resembled a normal hen rather 

 more than a cock. She was never heard to cluck, however, or to 

 make any of the sounds which normal active hens make in the 

 course of the day's work. This bird probably never laid an egg, 

 though we are unfortunately not able to make an absolute state- 

 ment on this point. The egg records of the station show an egg 

 to the credit of this bird on November 7, 1907. This was the 

 only egg ever recorded for this bird, and it is undoubtedly an erro- 

 neous record. As will presently appear, the condition of the 

 sexual organs was not such as to indicate that they had ever 

 been functional. 



Cockerels placed in the pen with this bird would try to fight 

 with her as if she were a cockerel ; but she would not fight. 



FIG. I. Outline of the lateral aspect of the comb of the Barred Plymouth Rock hen 

 described in this paper. This outline is actual size. 



We have no evidence that a cockerel ever attempted copulation 

 with this bird. These facts are of interest in relation to the ques- 

 tion of the basis of sex-recognition and the assortative mating 

 known to occur among fowls. Is a normal pullet with an un- 

 usually large comb less likely to have her eggs fertilized than a 

 bird with a smaller comb ? 



This bird was observed occasionally to take the position of a 

 cockerel about to crow and attempted to crow but never suc- 

 ceeded in very closely approximating the sound of a normal cock 

 bird. The bird was never seen to attempt to tread a hen. 



