CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL LABORATORY OF THE 

 MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY AT HARVARD COLLEGi:. 

 E. L. MARK, DIRECTOR. — No. 152. 



THE lIEliEDITY OF COAT COLOR IN MICE. 

 liY Gi.ovKU M. Allp:n. 



Presented by E. I.. Mark, May 11, 1904. Ruceiyod May 5, 1904. 



Contents. 



Papre 

 I. Introduction 01 



II. Varieties of Mice and Rats 02 



III. Care and Management 68 



IV. Mendel's Laws of Heredity 71 



V. The Heredity of Albinism 74 



A. Complete Albinism 74 



1. House .Mice and Albinos 74 



2. Spotted Mice and Albinos 83 



3. Complete Albinism and two other Coat Characters .... 06 



4. Albinos bred inter se 107 



5. Summary on Heredity of Complete Albinism 109 



B. Partial Albinism 112 



1. Manner of Occurrence 112 



2. Heredity of Partial Albinism 117 



3. Summary on Heredity of Partial AUiinisiii 123 



VI. Heredity of Pigment Characters 124 



1. Tlie Gray Coat 124 



2. The Black Type 127 



3. The Chocolate Type 140 



4. The Golden-agouti Type 145 



5. Comparison with Mirabilis 153 



VII. Conclusions 154 



1. Albinism 154 



2. Pigments 155 



Vni. Bibliography 159 



I. Intuoduction. 

 In the fall of 1000 the writer commenced a series of breeding 

 experiments with a view to studying the inheritance of coat characters 

 in the house mouse (3his miiscidus) and its various domesticated varie- 

 ties. This work has been carried on during the four years past under 



