20 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 
“‘And so with characters generally. Many will blend and many 
others will not. When they will not blend, then the appearence is 
still less a guide to the real hereditary qualities, and under these 
circumstances it is little or no index to what will happen when the 
mixture is bred. This fact was long a great stumbling-block to 
breeders, involving the business of improvement in unfortunate and 
as we now know, unnecessary mystery.” 
Silver Colour Suppose that a breeder has a silver fox, which, being 
a ad recessive, always breeds true, and he chooses a pure type 
Red of red fox for a mate, being caretul in order to secure 
pureness of type to obtain the red fox from a district where no melanism 
exists. Let the red fox be denoted by R.R. and the black or silver fox 
by B. B. (As to results, the sexes are equal in influence.) 
TRU IRY + B.B. 
| 
H B R.B ne a B 
(red) (red) (red) (red) 
All pups are red, but of the bastard type mentioned above, with 
blacker points,—legs, muzzles and ears. They are really half black, 
but the colour is hidden or recessive in the first generation, red being 
dominant. 
There are now two methods by which he can proceed to secure the 
black colour or pure B.B. 
First method: R.B. + Res 
R.R. R.B. RB: B.B. 
(pure red) (red) (red) (pure silver or black) 
Results: One-quarter of the litter is pure red 
One-half of the litter is red of the bastard type 
One-quarter of the litter is black or silver 
Second method: R.B. + BB: 
R.B. R.B. B.B. B.B. 
(red) (red) (pure silver (pure silver 
or black) or black) 
Results: One-half of the litter is red of the bastard type 
One-half of the litter is pure black or silver 
