144 Oil the Inlierltance of Colour in Pigeons 



Chequered Silvers. 



Type IX. Silver chequer, no white f gathers. (S.C. no wh.) 

 In these birds the ground colour was silver, and the chequering dun. 

 The pattern and distribution of chequering being as in the blue chequers. 

 The wing and tail bars also were dun. As in the blue chequers, the 

 amount of chequering varied, so that light and dark chequers were 

 obtained. In the darker specimens a little dappling was seen on the 

 breast, the remainder of the plumage being similar to that of the non- 

 chequered silvers, but slightly darker. 



Type X. Silver chequer, viith some white feathers. (S.C. some wh.) 

 As in the case of B.C. some wh., all silver chequers showing white 

 feathers are classed together. The amount and distribution of the 

 white corresponded with that of Types II and IV. No silver chequers 

 showing the typical Rock Dove pattern occurred. As the general 

 plumage of the chequered birds was darker than the non-chequered, 

 white feathers were easily discernible. 



Whites. 



Type XI. White. 



No coloured feathers were seen in the plumage of these birds 

 except on one specimen raised in Exp. 66, which had a small red tick 

 under the right eye. 



Details of the matings of Rock Doves with Whites. 

 Series B. {v. Table II.) 



Eap. .50. White J 4 x Typical C. livid ^ (no number). 



The Rock Dove </ used was one of the Irish birds sent to me by 

 Mr Bonhote. The white % was bred in Exp. 54 (y. infra), being a bird 

 in ^2 from a Lincolnshire Rock Dove and a White Fantail. From this 

 experiment only two birds were raised. They were blue, with black 

 wing and tail bars, and had a few white feathers on the rump, vent and 

 thighs, and also some white flight feathers and tertiaries. The amount 

 of white on the 7'ump was not so extensive as in C. livia, but, it will be 

 noticed, white appeared in other situations in which it is absent in the 

 Rock Dove. No chequering appeared on these birds, so the experiment 

 is a great contrast to Exp. 53 {v. infra) in which a Lincolnshire Rock 

 Dove mated to a White Fantail gave all chequered offspring. The 



