158 On the Inheritance of Colour in Pigeons 



silver. The bird is therefore entered iu the Table with a query. The 

 F2 blacks were identical with the F^a. 



The dun died young, but there was no doubt as to its colour. 



The blue resembled the blue Dragoon in plumage, having no white 

 feathers. 



Three pairs of the black F^'s are put up this year'. 



Grosses between dark and white races of Doves. 

 For these crosses specimens of the common Turtle Dove (Turtur 

 turtur), the Barbary Cage Dove or Collared Turtle Dove {T. risorius) 

 and a white variety of the latter known as the White Java Dove were 

 used. 



The Turtle Dove. Several specimens of this bird were obtained 

 from the neighbourhood of Fairford, Gloucestershire, where they were 

 taken from the nests of wild birds. (Plate X, fig. 1.) 



The Barbary Dove. This is the ordinary well-known cage dove. 

 The general plumage of this bird is of a dark cream colour. The 

 flights, rump and upper tail feathers are greyish drab. The under 

 parts and under tail coverts are white. There is a black collar round 

 the sides and back of the neck. (Plate X, fig. 4.) 



The White Java Dove. The plumage of this variety is, in the 

 majority of specimens I have seen, quite white. But iu some specimens 

 I have noticed, on handling the bird, a very light cream collar in the 

 position of the black collar in the Barbary dove. (Plate X, fig. 2.) 



Several specimens of the Barbary and White Java doves were 

 procured for these experiments from bird shops and advertisements in 

 Fanciers' papers. Unfortunately, however, for our purpose the breeders 

 are in the habit of crossing these two varieties, and since, as is described 

 below, the F^ bird, if dark, produced from the mating of the varieties 

 is absolutely indistinguishable from the pure bred Barbary dove, it is 

 impo,ssible to know whether the Barbary contains white or not until 

 it is tested. Further, the breeders do not appear to have any system 

 of marking their birds and I have been unable to ascertain the colour 

 pedigrees of the birds obtained. Mr F. J. Rogers of Ipswich, from 



1 These three pairs have so far produced Black 2, Dun 3, Blue 1, Silver 0. The colour 

 of the duns appears at present to resemble closely that of the Carrier. 



A blue Dragoon ? has been mated this year to a dun Carrier d' , and four young have 

 been produced of which oue is black and three are dun. The sexes of the young birds 

 cannot at present be ascertained. 



