426 H. D, GOODALE 



until sometime after those of the normal males of the same age. 

 Spurs of this size, however, are not unusual in perfectly normal 

 hens. 



Color. Except for the dorsal regions posterior to the neck, 

 the bird was colored like a female. Ventrally its color dupli- 

 cated the hen save that the breast feathers were not as bright a 

 salmon as is usual. The wing and tail feathers were dull black. 

 The dorsal body feathers were dull black with a little sheen and 

 a well-developed reddish shafting. Scattered over the web were 

 various small spots of brown. The total area of the brown was 

 very small in proportion to that of the black, whereas in the 

 normal female they are approximately equal and are scattered 

 about evenly over the web of the feather. 



Feather shape and length, together with the presence or ab- 

 sence of barbules are good criterea of their male or female char- 

 acter, except in the case of hen-feathered males. In several 

 years' experience with this strain, hen-feathered males have not 

 been encountered. The breeder of the strain confirms my experi- 

 ence so that we can dismiss the possibility of the bird's being 

 constitutionally hen-feathered. In the female, the dorsal feathers 

 have rounded ends, are relatively short and possess barbules along 

 nearly the entire length of the barbs. In the male and capon, 

 the feathers are long and pointed, while about one-third the 

 length of the barbs of the distal two-thirds of the feathers is 

 without barbules, thus producing the glistening appearance, 

 characteT-'^^tic of the male. All the dorsal feathers of this bird 

 are shap like those of the normal female. There is no trace 

 of any of the male feather characters described. 



THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS 



A single individual is a very slight foundation from which to 

 draw conclusions. Since Steinach has secured similar results 

 with guinea pigs and rats, it may be assumed that essentially 

 similar results will be obtained whenever a successful graft can 

 be secured. It has already been shown that the removal of the 

 ovaries in birds results in the development of the male plumage, 



