Volume VIII DECEMBER, huh No. l 



GENETIC STUDIES IN UAHBITS. 



I. ON THE INHERITANCE OF WEIGHT. 



By R. C. PUNNETT. F.R8., 

 AND THE LATE Major P. G. BAILEY. R.F.A. 



(With Twelve text-figures.) 



CONTENTS. 



PA«E 



Introduction 1 



General account of the experiments 2 



A. Flemish-mixed cross 3 



B. Flemish-Polish cross 5 



The Grovk-th Curve 7 



Sexual diflferences 15 



A. Mature weight 15 



B. Rate of growth 17 



Inbreeding 19 



Literature referred to 21 



Tables of Data 21 



Introduction. 



Several investigators have published data relating to the inherit- 

 ance of weight in rabbits. The earliest experiments appear to be those of 

 Huth ('87) which were undertaken with the idea of tvscertaining whether 

 continuous inbreeding through brother and sister mating led to any 

 diminution of size. The results are not published in a form which allows 

 of analysis, since the individual weights of the different animals, whether 

 parents or progeny, are not given. Huth however came to the con- 

 clusion that inbreeding over six generations did not lejul to any 

 deterioration in size. More recently Ciistle ('09) took up the (piestion 

 of size inheritance in this species. He admits that his statistics are 

 unsatisfactory as he wiis unable to keep many of his animals until the 

 adult state was reached. Most of his compiirisons were consequently 



Joom. of Gen. tiii 1 



