7 2 



COAT CHARACTERS IN GUINEA-PIGS AND RABBITS. 



The observed numbers of Himalayan and pure white young, it will 

 be noticed, approximate fairly well the numbers expected on the hy- 

 pothesis of complete segregation. 



The possibility of transmuting the Himalayan type into the pure 

 white type by cross-breeding is suggested by an interesting experiment 

 performed by Raspail ( : 02). He set at liberty in a park frequented 

 by wild gray rabbits, a Russian female rabbit, which variety has 

 the Himalayan type of peripheral pigmentation. The female was 

 presumably fertilized by wild males, certainly by pure pigmented 

 animals, as the outcome indicates. In three successive litters she pro- 

 duced only self colored gray or black young, in numbers approxi- 

 mately equal, as follows : 



Certain of the gray hybrids bred inter se produced 5 gray young, 3 

 white ones [apparently Himalayan], and i pure white. Two of the 

 [Himalayan] whites, when mated inter se produced a litter of 4 [Hima- 

 layan] white young. Two of these in turn interbred produced 5 pure 

 white offspring. 



This experiment I attempted to repeat, substituting for the wild 

 pigmented parent a pure reddish gray pigmented animal of the breed 

 known as the Belgian hare. A female Belgian hare was mated with 

 Himalayan cf 6, the original male employed in the experiments already 

 described. Three young were reared, a male and two females, of a 

 gray color somewhat darker than that of the mother, since it contained 

 more black pigment. The hybrids bred inter se have produced young 

 as follows : 



* Gray or black, died early. 



