150 INHEKITANCE, FERTILITY, AND SEX IN PIGEONS. 



crosses with white and blond rings, the male of these species and a female red 

 ring being used, the male offspring all have the color of the mother ; the female 

 offspring all have the color (lighter) of the sire. 



A white ring male mated to a red ring (table 138) gave 18 white and 18 dark 

 young. The 18 white birds are all known to have been females. The sex of 11 

 dark birds is known; all were males. Three matings of alba-huviilis hybrids 

 indicate (table 148) a veiy low fertility for these birds. From a mating of one of 

 these females with a risoria x humilis male, two dark young (spring) and one light 

 risoria (summer), but no whites, were produced. 



Crosses of blond rings with red rings gave results similar to those obtained from 

 white rings with red rings. A blond ring male mated to the red ring female threw 

 young of two colors — 7 dark, 4 blond. The sex of 4 of the dark birds is known; 

 they were all males; the 3 blond birds of known sex were females (table 139). 



The reciprocal of this cross also yielded young of two colors, though these colors 

 were apparently by no means as distinct as in the opposite cross. The color records 

 are adequate for the jaresent purpose in very few cases (table 140), and a conclusion 

 can hardly be drawn from them. An adult male of this composition is shown in 

 pi. 22; a female in juvenal plumage also in pi. 22. 



The sex was ascertained in 23 young of the humilis-risoria cross; there were 11 

 males and 12 females. But the sexes were not evenly distributed throughout the 

 three yearly periods. Instead, 4 males and 3 females were from 1900, which is the 

 year of longest average life for offspring. In 1901 again 4 males and 3 females were 

 recorded, while from the third year, that of the shortest-lived offspring, 3 males and 

 6 females were recorded. 



Table 138. 

 cT St. alha (O) : 1001 ? ; 10/10/06; .5 (?) yr. 

 9 St. humilis (2 r) ; 8/30/01 ; 4/?/06. 



c? Al. 5/30/02 dark 1/15/05 3U mo. N 1. 5/10; no record. 



d' A2. 6/1/02 dark .alive 1/31/05 32 mo. cf N 2. 5/12 dark S/9/05 15 mo. 



B 1. 6/29; 14 day embryo. d" O 1. 6/24 dark 8/20/05 14 mo. 



9 B2. 7/1 white alive 1/31/05 31 mo. 9 2. 6/20; white. 



9 CI. 7/29 white 5/1/05 33 mo PI. 7/12; dark. 



d'C2. 7/31 dark 8/?/05 36 mo. 9 P 2. 7/14 white 6/22/06 23 mo. 



9 Dl. 8/28 white aiit. 1902 3 mo. c? Q 1. 8/14 dark 2/20/05 6.; mo. 



D2. no record. cf Q 2. 8/16 dark 4/10/05 8 mo. 



cf El. 9/29 d.ark 2/10/04 16^ mo. 9 R 1. 9/16; white. 



9 E2. 10/1 white 10/15/05.. -36^ mo. R 2. 9/18; dark. 



F 1. 3/22/03; no development. S. 3/21/05; dark; crooked neck (killed). 



F 2. 3/24/03; deserted. T 1. 4/19; no test. 



9 G 1. 4/12; white; failed to hatch. T 2. 4/21; no test. 



« 2. 4/14; dark. U 1. 5/10; no test. 



H 1. 5/14; unhatched. U 2. 5/12; no test. 



9 H 2. 5/16; white; lived 1 day (lice). 



9 11.6/3 white 12/?/06 31 



9 I 2. 6/5 white 5/8/05 23 



v.V 2'^Jf)one dark (lico-killcd). 



W 1. 7/41 



9 J 1. 7/6; white; lived 1 day. W 2! 7/6/""" '^'"''*- 



9 J 2. 7/8; white. 



9X1. 8/2 white (lice-killed). 



Kl. 8/10; no record. 9X2. 8/4 white 1/1/06. 



K 2. 8/12; no record. ^ Y 1. 8/23 dark 5/?/06 9 mo. 



9 L 1. 9/13; white. 9 Y 2. 8/25; white. 



9 L2. 9/15; 



cf Zl. 10/2 dark 12/25/06 14 mo. 



M 1. 4/9/04; dark. d" Z 2. 10/4; dark 



M 2. 4/11/04; no development. (DD 8, A 12) 



