Atavism in Guinea-Chicken Hybrids 741 
to that found on the tail feathers of various pheasants and particu- 
larly of certain hybrid pheasants which I have examined. The 
pheasants in general have much more strongly developed tails 
than the guineas and their characters have dominated in the tails 
of the hybrids. As to the white primaries of the hybrids, it has 
already been stated that such are also of frequent occurrence in 
the domestic guinea, and it was noted also that in Agelastes mele- 
agrides the outer margins of the primaries are whitish. 
To sum the matter up briefly, in the guinea-chicken hybrids 
under discussion, it would appear that the characteristic color 
pattern of white U-shaped vermiculations on a dark background 
is a return to a generalized type of color marking that is more or 
less recognizable in various groups of the sub-families Phasian- 
ine and Numidine. The immediate pattern as seen in these 
hybrids is seemingly a composite of primitive loop-like bands as 
exemplified in Polyplectron chalcurus together with the prevalent 
stripe of the more specialized pheasants, on the one hand, and, on 
the other, of the numerous transverse vermiculations of an ances- 
tral color pattern approximating that of Agelastes meleagrides. 
The short black feathers of the neck found in all of these pro- 
nounced hybrids seem as already indicated, to approach more 
nearly the condition of the feathers found on the neck of Gallus 
ferrugineus during the summer months. The even feathering 
of the head and loss of ornamentation appears, however, to be 
yet more primitive, approaching the simpler types of Polyplectron. 
The total lack of spurs in the genus Numida and their presence 
only in the males of Gallus has sufficed to bring about their sup- 
pression in the hybrids even though the latter are male. The 
frequent recurrence of reddish-brown or brown mottled with 
black in the plumage of such hybrids as guinea X chicken, pheasant 
chicken, and peacock X chicken is presumably a return to a 
condition such as exists in Gallus ferrugineus or in still more 
primitive types such as Polypectron chalcurus. If one could 
express the whole matter in one phrase it would be that the return 
in each regressive feature seems to be more to primitive funda- 
mental states or conditions common to a number of allied groups 
than to any particular recognizable ancestor. To the writer, at 
