STUDY OF SELECTIONS FOR SIZE, SHAPE, AND COLOR OF HENS' EGGS 273 



able to withstand the severe winter weather relatively better than the 

 smaller birds from the smaller eggs. 



A similar tendency may be noted for the -j^. to increase during the 



first winter, in the curve representing all birds in figure 43, but no 

 definite increase in this factor can be observed for any of the later 

 winters. No definite tendency can be seen toward an increase or a 



decrease in the factor g; as the birds bacome older after the fourth week. 

 The factor j^. at the one-day age is very large, as might be expected. 



From the fourth week to the twentieth week of the 1912 offspring, it 

 will be noticed that the coefficient of correlation is very low. The only 

 explanation of this is that it may be due to an error in taking the weights. 

 The balance used was rather heavy, and the hundredths of pounds had 

 to be estimated. It is possible that the flapping and jumping of the larger, 

 more vigorous chicks caused their weight to be underestimated, thus tend- 

 ing to reverse the correlation. In spite of these few discrepancies, it will be 

 noted that the correlation is always positive and in most cases significant. 



The studies that were made on all available birds during the entire 

 experiment are shown in tables 63 to 119, and are summarized in figure 

 43 (page 271) and in table 120. 



TABLE 63. SIZE (WEIGHT IN GRAMS) OF BIRDS AT AGE OF 1 DAY, SUBJECT; SIZE OF EGGS 

 FROM WHICH RESPECTIVE CHICKS WERE HATCHED, RELATIVE 



Coefficient of correlation = .73 =h .013 

 44 46 48 50 52 54 55 58 60 62 64 63 68 70 



I 23 45 48 74 98 



76 56 35 20 12 3 2 573 



