64 CROSSING. 



mented animal, the final outcome of the work will be coloured 

 animals, which differ from the albinos only in that one factor 

 which all albinos lack. In this way a good insight is obtained 

 into the genetic constitution of the albino strain, so far as 

 colour-modifying genes are concerned. 



It is significant to observe, the relative ease with which 

 a dominant new character can be introduced into a species of 

 fowls, makes this process much more frequent than the reverse, 

 the introduction of a new recessive character, in other words 

 the elimination of a gene. Buff colour in most species of fowls 

 is due to the presence of a gene. We therefore see buff sub-breeds 

 being made in all sorts of breeds. Recessive characters are lost 

 in the first hybrids, and this fact often throws would-be orig- 

 inators of new species of fowls off the track. This must be one 

 of the main reasons why there is only one colour of Silky fowl, 

 to a dozen colours of booted bantams, notwithstanding the 

 popularity of the silky breed. And that there is only one colour 

 of silky fantail-pigeon, to a dozen or more colours of normally 

 feathered ones, notwithstanding the striking appearance of 

 the white silkies. 



As a rule, fanciers of fowls are content with a new species, 

 long before it is wholly up to the standard of excellence of the 

 rest of the species of the group, and some traces of the cross 

 will often remain. 



If the view of some authors on the origin of bantam fowls 

 were correct, that bantams could be made out of any of the 

 breeds of fowls by selection of small "mutants," it would ap- 

 pear strange, that they hardly ever are good copies in miniature 

 of the breed of which they are believed to be descended. In 

 answer to questions directed to breeders of bantams, Poarl 

 learned that bantams are bred from hybrids between the large 

 breed and some bantam. From the history of one of the newer 

 bantams we know that in practice the whole process is more 

 a "grading up" than a straight selection in the second gener- 

 ation of the cross. 



According to Bateson, there is only one striking dominant 



