20 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



" And so with characters generally. Many will blend and many 

 others will not. When they will not blend, then the appearance 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 silxer fox, which, being 

 Recessive to recessive, always breeds true, and he chooses a pure type 

 of red fox for a mate, being careful 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 K. E. and the black or silver fox 

 by B.B. (As to results, the sexes are equal in influence.) 



R.R. + B.B. 



R.B R.B R.B R.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. + R.B. 



R.R. R.B. R.B. 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. + B.B. 



R.B. R.B. 



(red) (red) 



Results: One-half of the litter is red of the bastard type 

 One-half of the litter is pure black or silver 



