400 



The Journal of Heredity 



In addition to the differences in 

 endosperm texture the seeds of coix 

 differ also in the color of the pericarp. 

 The seeds of most of the hard slielled 

 forms have a dark red pericarp wliile 

 the pericarp color of many of the 

 soft shelled seeds is a very liulu brown. 

 Both red and brown pericarp colors are 

 found in maize though by far the most 

 common form is colorless, a form as \et 

 not found in coix, while the only peri- 

 carp color known in Tripsacum and 

 Kuchlaena is a dark red. There is 

 nothing to indicate whether the associ- 

 ation in coix of the light brown pericarp 

 with the soft shelled seeds is genetic 

 or due simply to a discrimination 

 against red pericarp in the cultivation 

 of edible forms. 



In maize the waxy texture of the 

 endosperm has been found to be 

 associated with the color of the aleurone 

 cells of the seeds and also with a form 

 of seed known as shrunken.^ None 

 of the samples examined had colored 

 aleurone or shrunken endosperm but it 

 is conceivable that with a larger series 

 or by appropriate crosses these charac- 

 ters would be found, making it possible 

 to compare their linkage relations in 

 maize and coix. Even without this 

 possibility coix should appeal to genet- 

 icists since the variability in seed and 

 plant characters is great and the genus 

 presents interesting morphological fea- 

 tures. 



INHERITANCE OF WEBBED TOES 



Richard Schofield 

 University of California 



IN THE family of the writer there 

 occurs a curious type of w'ebbed 

 toes. The digits affected are the 

 two nearest to the large toe on each 

 foot, which are joined together by a 

 webbed skin that persists as far out as 

 the last joint. This webbing appears 

 only in the skin and the superficial 

 fascia, and in no way affects the bones. 

 Sometimes the web extends a trille 

 be>ond the last joint on the right foot, 

 and in other cases it does not extend as 

 far as the joint on the left foot. How- 

 ever this may be in any one case, it is 

 found that the web persists always to a 

 greater degree on the right than on the 

 left foot. There is no noticeable 

 inability to nunc either or both digits 

 on account of the web of skin. T! e 

 condition pre\ails at birth, not increas- 

 ing as the indi\iduals grow older. 



'I'he character always appears in the 

 male .sex, is transmitted only thru 

 the male lineage, and it is never con- 

 cealed in the males of this lineage. 

 The daughter of an affected male may 

 transmit the trait to her sons if this 

 character behaxed in no unusual man- 

 ner, but as is shown in the accompain- 

 ing chart this never occurs. Also it 



DIAGRAM OF WEBBED TOES. (Fit;. 7.) 



will be noted that it is ne\'er handed 

 down to a daugJiter by an affected male. 

 This peculiar hereditary trait is 

 apparently inherited as a secondary 

 sex character. Since this condition 

 prevails in tiu- family of the writer, 

 there has been ample opportunit}' to 

 examine the females c(|uall\- as well as 

 (he males, and all conditions noted and 

 gi\en here ha\e been \eritied. 



' Hutchison, C. B. Heritable Characters of Maize — VII. Shrunken Endosperm. Journal of 

 IlKKKDrrv, Vol. XII, No. 2, Fcl)., 1921, pp. 76-S,< 



