26 



INHERITANCE IN RABBITS 



OTHER MATINGS OF HALF-BLOOD LOPS AND ADDITIONAL CROSS 6 MATINGS. 



Other matings in which the rabbits 9 247 and <$ 248 were concerned 

 are recorded in tables 14 and 15. 



In mating i (with c? 179) 9247 gave a fully normal blending result. 

 Of the 5 young produced, 2 surpassed the mid-parental ear-length, i 

 equaled it, and 2 fell below it. All were intermediate, and the range of 

 variation was 14 mm., or about one-fourth of the difference between the 

 parents. In mating 2 (with ^319) 9247 gave a result similar to that 

 which she had given with cf 248. All the young were intermediate in 

 ear-length, but all fell short of the mid-parental ear-length, by from 3 to 

 16 mm. This was not due to consanguinity, for 9247 and ^319 were 

 not closely related. It may, however, have been due to inferior condi- 

 tions of nutrition, perhaps resulting from the large size of the litter. The 

 whole litter seems to have been affected alike, the total range of variation 

 among the seven young being only n mm. 



TABLE 14. 



Male 248 was mated with three different short-eared females, none of 

 which was nearly related to him. The results are shown in table 15. 



In mating i, <$ 248 gives a result like that which he had given when 

 mated with his sister (9 247) . All but i of the 6 young fell below the mid- 

 parental ear- length by from 8 to 19 mm. The shortest-eared one had 

 exactly the same ear-length (115 mm.) as the short-eared parent, a result 

 unparalleled elsewhere in these experiments except in one case, presently 

 to be noticed. The shortness in this case can not be attributed to the poor 

 condition or small size of the individual, for it was the largest rabbit but 

 one in the litter, a position which it maintained throughout the growth 

 period. Apparently this individual represents an extreme variate of a 

 fluctuating group. The extreme range of variation in this litter was 23 

 mm.; the difference between the parents, 38 mm. 



