282 Secondary Sexual Characters in Pheasants 



There is clear evidence that colour and pattern-transference is the 

 source of the factor for the delicate grey that distinguishes the mutation 

 F^ "P" ^ and some of her offspring F^, a factor transmitted by the 

 female parent from the transitional plumage of the male of her species 

 to her female offspring, transmitted discontinuous and constant to 

 F3 " P" ^ for the mutation is reproduced in her female offspring 

 F4 " G" % and also appeared in the immature plumage in three or 

 four others of her male and female F^, and where it occurred in the 

 male resulted in a mutation in the breast feathers, which instead of 

 being like the Silver </ a self black with a dark blue lustre in certain 

 lights, have down the centre of each feather a long narrow V-shaped 

 white mark ; the thigh also shows mutation white being present in 

 considerable quantity. 



It is possible that further observation and investigation may reveal 

 a law governing these phenomena of colour and pattern-transference 

 and that varieties among species may be found to be partly due to 

 their influence. 



Summary. 



Judging from the result of this experiment, it would appear that 

 the transmission of her female characters by " B" % to her female 

 offspring was far from complete even in the third generation. In fact 

 the investigation of the birds concerned j)l<iiiily demonstrates the 

 following points : 



I. Premature sexual development occurred in the crosses, which 

 bred in the first year instead of like the parents in the second 3'ear. 



II. That "B" % failed to transmit her plumage to F, %% " BA," 

 and that the hybrid condition oVBA" was continued in /"a ? ? "BBA" 

 after two doses of " i? " % , and again the same hybrid condition was 

 observed in i^, $ $ " BBBA " after three doses of " 5 " ? , and finally 

 when " BBBA " were crossed inter se segregation appeared in the leg 

 colour and in some plumage areas in i^j ? ^ , and that in others of the 

 various areas examined the lujhrid nature of the plumage was main- 

 tained, showing that throughout the series certain of the characters of 

 the female of " A " parent were carried by F^ , F„ and F.^J'J'. 



III. It is also shown that the factors for the male eight month 

 transition plumage were transmitted by the female parent to her female 

 offspring and caused a hybrid appearance, but that these sexual hybrid 

 patterns were quite distinct from the racial hybrid patterns and readily 



