ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 571 



to bring about the retrogression of useless characters by the blending of parental 

 traits." *' Mendelian inheritance is a human creation, and the right interpre- 

 tation of the facts appears to be that nature treats mutation, when man inter- 

 feres and presents them to her, as sexual characters. ... It appears, then, 

 that Mendelian characters are nothing other than nonsexual or semisexual 

 characters abnormally reproduced in the mode that sexual characters are nor- 

 mally reproduced. It follows that experimental workers have been engaged 

 investigating, not heredity in general, not even the function of sex, but only 

 certain anomalies of sexual reproduction which occur under conditions of arti- 

 ficial selection and crossing." 



An appendix by H. H. Turner contains many ideas conuectetl with inheritance 

 which are represented diagrammatically. 



The influence of the male parent in heredity, G. Loisel (Compt. Rend, Sot: 

 Biol. [Paris], 68 (1910), 2\o. J/, pp. 153-156; abs. in Jour. Roy. Micros. Soc. 

 [London], 1910, No. 3, p. 296). — After making measurements of successive 

 generations of rabbits for 5 years, the author concludes that the male parent 

 not only determines the characters of a proportion of the progeny but modifies, 

 in a degree which seems to be measurable, the hereditary transmission of the 

 recessive characters of the grandparents. 



The inheritance of color, conformation, and sex, M. Muller {Arb. Deut. 

 Gcsell. Zuchtnngsk., 1910, No. 5, pp. 167, pis. 9). — This consists mainly of 

 descriptions of the characteristics of offspring resulting from crosses between 

 warm and cold blooded horses, between horses and asses, and between cattle 

 and bison. Numerous theories of sex are reviewed and some additional data 

 furnished on the inheritance of sex in horses. 



The Carneg'ie Institution's work with poultry (Farm Poultry, 21 (1910), 

 No. 6, pp. 169-173, 175). — This is a criticism of the work on Mendelian in- 

 heritance in poultry from the standpoint of the practical poultry breeder. 



The vitellin membrane in eg'gs of birds, A. Lecaillon (Compt. Rend. Acad. 

 i<ci. [Paris], 150 (1910), No. J,, pp. 2.',0-2.',2; Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 

 68 (1910), No. 5, i)p. 218, 219; abs. in Jour. Roy. Micros. Soc. [London], 1910, 

 No. 3, pp. 293, 29 J, ) . — The so-called vitellin membrane of the egg of the black- 

 bird, which the author thinks should be called the vitellin capsule, is described. 

 It consists of (1) an internal layer, the vitellin membrane of the ovum. (2) a 

 median layer, the remains of the granulosa of the ovarian follicle, and (3) an 

 external layer, which is the most internal part of the theca of the ovarian follicle. 



Mitochondrial elements of germ cells and chondriosomes of embryonic 

 cells, J. DuESBERG (Auut. Anz., 35 (1910), No. 20-22, pp. 5J,8-553, pgs. J,; abs. 

 in Jour. Roy. Micros. Soc. [London], 1910, No. 3, p. 29.'/).— The author shows 

 that the chondriosomes of the somatic cells of the young embryo are of maternal 

 origin. 



The physiology of stock breeding, F. H. A. Marshall (Jour. Roy. Agr. 

 Soc. England, 70 (1909), pp. 67-82, figs. 5).— A general article on the phenomena 

 attending generation in animals, with special reference to the bearing of 

 recent investigations in physiology ui)on the practice of breeding. 



Feeding color: An aid in studying- physiological development, C. A. 

 Rogers (Cornell Countryman, 7 (1910), No. 8, pp. 269-273, figs. 6).—X prelim- 

 inary report of work in feeiling anilin dyes to fowls. 



The results of feeding Sudan III have confirmed the experience of other 

 observers. The germinal disk, albuminous center, and connecting tube re- 

 mained uncolored. showing that either they contain little or no fat, or were a 

 part of the ovary before the dye was fcnl. It took 14 days for the yolk to be 

 fully formed during the heavy laying season. The color bands were much 

 G0863°— No. 0—10 



