162 GENETICS [Box. Absts., Vol. VIII, 



was, however, irreversible. Whitman concludes that the same law of orthogenesis holds 

 for various other orders of birds. In the latter part of the volume there are 2 chapters on 

 "Fundamental bars and frills" and ''The mutation theory and mutations." In the latter, 3 

 mutations occurring in Whitman's stocks are described. — Volume II contains data relating to 

 many close and wide crosses between doves and pigeons. The main deductions are as fol- 

 lows : The wider the cross the lower the fertility and the greater the tendency for the production 

 of males; fertility is lowest in the autumn with an excess of females and highest in the spring 

 with an excess of males. The stronger germs are produced early and give rise to males, while 

 the later germs are weaker and produce females. Color follows the same law. The appear- 

 ance of white and certain abnormalities are signs of weakness. There is also a discus- 

 sion and a presentation of data relating to sex-linkage. About two-thirds of Volume III 

 deals with the behavior relating to reproduction, such as sexual activities, nesting, 

 egg-laying, onset of incubation, and feeding of young. These are discussed in some 

 detail and then related to the variations of different species and the sexes. The other third 

 of the volume is taken up with miscellaneous subjects. The voices of different species are 

 discussed. Certain elements of the voice of the turtle dove are noted in those of the common 

 pigeon. Voices of hybrids are blended. Various other acts of behavior peculiar to pigeons, 

 such as homing, tumbling, and pouting, are considered. — Sarah VH. Jones. 



1113. RiXFORD, G. P. Some results of fig breeding by the IT. S. Dept. of Agr. Fig and 

 Olive Jour. 4": 12, 13. 1920. — "Fertile seeds can be secured from all kinds of common figs." 

 A branch with pistillate figs about 1-2 cm. in diameter is bagged with a caprifig fruit con- 

 taining mature Blastophaga, and the pollination is left to the insects. Figs containing fertile 

 seeds may differ from unpoUination fruits in size, shape, and time of ripening. Hybrids 

 between varieties of the Adriatic class and caprifigs of the Smyrna class are about half 

 caprifigs [staminate]. Several promising seedlings are described. — Howard B. Frost. 



1114. Rommel, Geo. M. Essentials of animal breeding. U. S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' 

 Bull. 1167. 38 p., 32 fig. 1920.— The basic facts about heredity and the breeding of farm 

 animals together with the principles to be followed in livestock improvement are discussed 

 in this bulletin, in popular language. — Sewall Wright. 



1115. S., E. J. [Rev. of: Gager, C. Sttjart. Heredity and evolution in plants. H X 

 20 cm., xi + 265 p., 113 fig. P. Blakiston's Son & Co.: Philadelphia, 1920 (see Bot. Absts. 6, 

 Entry 1672).] Sci. Prog. [London] 15:498. 1921. 



1116. Sando, Charles E., and H. H. Bartlett. Rutin, the flavone pigment of Escholtzia 

 californica Cham. Jour. Biol. Chem. 41:495-501. PI. 6-7. April, 1920.— "The petals of 

 Escholtzia californica contain nearly 5 per cent of rutin (quercetin glucosorhamnoside). In 

 view of the great range of (flower) colors in Escholtzia, from golden yellow to white, and 

 from white to rose, this genus would appear to afford especially suitable material for study 

 of the physiological and genetic relationships of the flavonol and anthocyanin pigments."— 

 Leonas L. Burlingame. 



1117. ScHULTZ, Walther. Kalteschwarzung eines Saugetieres und ihre allgemeinbiolog- 

 ischen Hinweise. [Blackening by means of cold in a mammal and its general biological impli- 

 cations.] Arch. Entwicklungsmech. 47:43-75. 12 fig. 1920.— Author made experiments on 

 rabbits with pink eyes, white body, and black ears, nose, tail, and feet, to determine the influ- 

 ence of heat and cold on coat color. He was able to change the white color into black and to 

 produce diverse types of hair-color patterns, through the influence of cold. The nature and 

 cause of arctic white and black animals is also discussed. — John H. Schaffner. 



1118. Semon, Richard. Uber das Schlagwort "Lamarckismus." [On the catch word 

 "Lamarckism."] Zeittechr. Indukt. Abstamm.- u. Vererb. 22:51-52. Dec, 1919.— Author 

 refers to criticisms of H. Siemens regarding an article by the author on "The footprint of 

 man," published 5 years ago. Siemens has referred to the article as a Lamarckian expla- 



