86 Pied Varieties [ch. 



and by taking pains every gradation in amount of white 

 could be found represented among fancy mice. Experience, 

 however, soon shows that some at least of these are gametic 

 types, while presumably others are the consequence of 

 various heterozygous combinations. Cuenot's work with 

 mice led him to the conclusion that in mice the several 

 degrees of piedness are recessive to each other in the order 

 of the amount of white, those with more white being re- 

 cessive to those with less. In general terms this is a true 

 account, but we have not found the rule to apply quite 

 strictly even in mice, perhaps through the existence of the 

 complication next to be considered. It should be remarked 

 also that no general statement can be made as to dominance 

 of self-colours over pied which is applicable to animals in 

 general, and on a wide survey of the results of breeding 

 many paradoxical occurrences are met with. Especially 

 curious are the cases, by no means very rare, in which a 

 cross between a domesticated and a wild animal, e.g, dog 

 and wolf — has produced a partially pied offspring. 



Dominant Pied Types, 



So far we have been considering the behaviour of 

 pied patterns recessive to the whole-coloured types. 

 Though several points remain for investigation the genetic 

 relations of these patterns are fairly clear. A remarkable 

 complication has next to be mentioned. Both in the rabbit 

 and the mouse it is now known that in addition to the pied 

 types which are recessive there are others which are domi- 

 nant to the whole-coloured form. Hurst has proved this 

 for the variety of rabbit called *' English pattern." This 

 animal is white with spots of colour (black, grey, or other- 

 wise) generally of small size on the sides of the body, a 

 patch over the eyes, and a " chain " of spots sometimes 

 nearly continuous down the middle of the back. In ideal 

 specimens the spots should be of a special form and have a 

 definite distribution, but neither of these features seems to 

 be gametic. The English type is not now much in fashion 

 and looks uncommon to those used to modern rabbits, but 

 formerly it was very abundant. 



