\{. Ham; 'I'ik.mas 253 



figliLiiig ln't wuL'ii llicsc Lwo hybrids and tlic coiiiuiou male pli(jii«,uil 

 runniiig in th(^ same open pen, neither was there any sign of a cross in 

 any of the chicks raised, upwards of a thousand. The absence of 

 rivahy here suggests absohite sterility. During the breeding season of 

 1912 several of these birds were sent to Mr Geoffrey Smith for cytological 

 investigation, the results of his rcisearches were published in the 

 Journal uf Genetics, Vol. III. No. 1, June, lOl.S, showing great abnor- 

 malities and degeneration in the se.Kual organs. 



Reeves x Furmosdn, 1910. 



Ill 1!)1(>, /'/(. reeresi J the bold combative species was crossed with 

 Ph. /orniosanus ^ a species of tame calm nature. Infertility of the 

 eggs was gi'eat, of 36 laid there were 28 infertile, 8 chicks were hatched, 

 4 died, all males. Of the 4 reared, 2 were males, 2 females, the sex 

 ratio again showing the preponderance of males. In this cross strange 

 wild behaviour began at 10 days of age and at 17 days 4 of the chicks 

 fought in a melee, three succumbed, which on dissection proved to 

 be males. 



From these observations and the previous evidence of the other 

 sterile hybrids the Reeves- Versicolor cross, it is plain that all the 

 combatants were males, which is the more astonishing as in the achdt 

 stage we find the males so peaceable and friendly together even in the 

 breeding season, whereas the females, though peaceable as chicks were 

 so aggressive to one another as adults that they had to be separated. 



In 1911 F^ reevesi x formosanus $ was mated with the male parent 

 species Fh. furnwsanus (/, she laid no eggs. 



The same season a pair of F^ reevesi x forinosanus were mated 

 inter se, no eggs were laid, no mating observed. 



In 1912 Fi Ph. reevesi x forinosanus wore again mated inter se, no 

 mating was seen, no eggs were laid. 



The precocious combativeness of the males in earl}' chickhnod 

 followed by such perfect fi-iendliness in the adult stage even in the 

 mating season, and the reverse conditions observed in the females, their 

 abnormal dimensions, being nearly as big bodied as the males, and the 

 assumption of male plumage suggested some inti'icate interchange of 

 condition in the se.xual organs. Three of these birds also were examined 

 by Mr Geoffrey Smith, whose interesting account of their abnormal 

 sexual condition may be seen in Vol. in. No. 1 of the Journal of 

 Genetics, June, 1913. 



