J. E. DlTKRDKN !«7 



extent of the nnl colounition, not in itH intenMity, thiit tin; norilu'rn iind 

 southern cocks ciiffcr ho conspicuously ; in the former it is difTtiseci 

 practically all over, while in the latter it is limited to the head and legs 

 below the ankle joint. The sexually mature cross-bred cock is decidedly 

 intenuediate biM ween these two as reganls the area <>f the body Jissuming 

 the red colour. The head and tarsus are scarlet as in both parents, but 

 only a slight pink colour appeai-s on the upjxjr part of the leg and also 

 over the neck, and may even tinge the other parts of thr body, though 

 without approaching the bright red of the northern parent. The various 

 cross-brtnl cocks naturally differ as regards the degree and extent of the 

 colouration, but they never wholly follow one parent or the other. In 

 extreme cases the body colour may be a grey blue almost like the 

 southern cock or a grey yellow nearly like the northern, but all kinds 

 of intenntnliate tints are to be met with, even in biixls from the siime 

 nest. 



In all the cross-bred ccx^ks thi' red of the neck is displayed to a 

 greater or less degree through the white downy covering. Sometimes 

 It is only apparent when the small hairy feathers are turned Jiside and 

 the loose skin put on the stretch. It then appears as red showing 

 through a bluish ground, the two producing a purple. From this it 

 w^ould seem iis if both the blue of the southern bird and the red of the 

 northern were represented, the resultant purple being the product of the 

 two. It is evident that the degree of redness of the body and neck is 

 partly dependent upon the other body colours. If the latter is dark 

 blue it naturally tends to obscure the red, while if the body colour is 

 only a pale yellow the red becomes more obvious. The nuptial colours, 

 dependent upon the presence of the testes, are superimposed upon the 

 true body colours. 



As regards the two Fo chicks the colour of the body, legs and neck 

 is quite as dark as that of any Cape hen, showing no influence from the 

 lighter colour of the northern grandparent and the intermediate light 

 colour of the cross-bred parents. Both being hens however the colour 

 is not so distinctive as it would be in the case of cocks. Taken as a 

 preliminary result it certainly suggests that the colours of the northern 

 and southern birds have a separate factorial basis, and that segregation 

 will take place in the second cross-bred generation. The rearing of 

 further F.. chicks will be awaited with interest as likely to solve the 

 problem. 



