EAR-SIZE 



33 



at 25 weeks of age ear-lengths identical with those of the respective parents, 

 viz, of 195 and 210 mm. The other two had intermediate ear-lengths 

 of 200 and 205 mm. respectively. This is a fully normal blending result. 

 The total range of variation is 15 mm. In both ear-length and size the 

 young are similar to those produced by the mating with ^319 (table 22). 



CROSS 7. QUARTER-BLOOD LOP FEMALE X SHORT-EARED MALE. 



Three different quarter-blood lop females, 521, 522, and 524 (table 18), 

 produced by a mating of the Belgian hare with her son (^176), were 

 mated with a son of the same Belgian hare by an unrelated short-eared 

 male. (See table 14.) The outcome of these matings is shown in table 24. 



TABLE 24. 



The offspring show, as regards ear-length, a rather wide range of vari- 

 ation, 20 mm., which is nearly two-thirds of the difference in ear-length 

 between the parents. The average ear-length of the offspring corresponds, 

 in each litter, closely with the mid-parental ear-length, the plus and minus 

 deviations being, except in mating 3, about equal in number and amount. 

 In mating i, 3 of the 6 young have approximately the mid-parental ear- 

 length, but 2 show minus deviations of 6 and n mm. respectively, and i 

 shows a plus deviation of 9 mm. 



The 2 young produced by mating 2 were of large size at 20 weeks of 

 age, indicating conditions of nutrition above the average. The ear-length 

 of each exceeds by 2.5 mm. the mid-parental ear-length. 



The 5 young produced by mating 3 show 2 minus deviations of 3 and 4 

 mm. respectively, and 3 plus deviations of 2, 6, and 15 mm. respectively. 



