authors' abstract of this paper issued 

 by the bibliographic service, june 12 



A CASE OF TRUE HERMAPHRODITISM IN THE FOWL 



WITH REMARKS UPON SECONDARY SEX 



CHARACTERS! 



CARL G. HARTMAN AND WILLIAM F. HAMILTON 



Department of Zoology, The University of Texas, Austin 



TWO PLATES (ten FIGURES) 



Since less than a score of instances of true hermaphroditism 

 in birds have been described, the case herein presented is of 

 interest in relation to the problem of secondary sex characters 

 in birds. The fact that the writers have in hand the entire history 

 of their hermaphrodite and the further fact that it exhibits some 

 unique feaures are additional reasons for the publication of this 

 study. We shall first describe the behavior and the anatomy 

 of the specimen and then discuss some of the theoretical aspects 

 of the subject. For the reader's convenience the other cases 

 described in the literature have been compiled in table 1. 



BEHAVIOR 



The observations under this head have been put together after 

 a careful sifting of the testimony given by a dozen or more persons. 

 Unfortunately, however, while in our possession and for some 

 months preceding, the bird exhibited only an indifferent sex 

 behavior, perhaps on account of its advanced age, which was 

 nearly nine years. 



The bird was hatched as a robust chick and developed into 

 an apparently normal Rhode Island Red pullet. ^ The following 

 spring the comb and wattles began to enlarge and the bird, after 



1 Contribution from the Department of Zoology, The University of Texas, 

 no. 152. 



2 For details as to the life-history and habits of the specimen our thanks are 

 due our fellow townsmen, Mr. Joe Amstead, Jr., who presented the bird, and 

 Mr. and Mrs. E. Raven, who raised it. 



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