22 GONADECTOMY IN RELATION TO THE SECONDARY 



numbers with the age of the bird until a complete juvenile plumage was 

 developed, this being replaced in turn by an imperfect adult male coat". 

 (It should be noted that in many males of the strain used, the full adult 

 plumage, particularly in late-hatched individuals, may not appear 

 until after the molt of the second season.) After the annual molt, the 

 plumage had reached the adult condition. Plate v is from a painting 

 of the bird made in 1913, when it was about 1| years of age. 



Certain points call for further comment. First, the plumage, partic- 

 ularly in proportion to the size of the bird, is more like that of the 

 capon than that of the cock i. e., the feathers are longer. Second, 

 the head is small and in the absence of a good-sized comb appears even 

 smaller. Third, the bird as a whole is small, approximating the hen 

 in size. Fourth, the shanks are comparatively short and of relatively 

 delicate build, giving the bird a low-set appearance. Although the 

 spurs are well developed, the legs are those of a hen and not those of the 

 cock or capon. 



The history of this bird during the summer of 1914 is of partic- 

 ular interest. It was observed that it molted in early summer and 

 that the new coat was quite different from the old. The breast 

 became suffused with red, because the new feathers were red and black, 

 resembling strongly those of the young male. The dorsal regions lost 

 their bright appearance and became relatively dull-colored. The 

 individual feathers of the saddle were relatively short with rounded 

 ends, and were stippled brownish red on a black ground. They were 

 not colored like those of the female, though they had the shape of hen 

 feathers. The distal portion of the feathers of the wing bow became 

 black and red, instead of red alone, while the barbuleless margins dis- 

 appeared. The secondary coverts became red and black instead of 

 uniform black. These statements are sufficient to illustrate the char- 

 acter of the more important changes. By late August, however, the 

 new feathers coming in were again completely normal male in char- 

 acter, and by early October the bird was well on its way toward the 

 reassumption of the completely normal male plumage, which has been 

 maintained ever since. It has been determined by an operation that 

 no ovary was present, though an organ of an entirely different histo- 

 logical structure was found. (See page 24.) 



No. 4290 is in many respects a parallel case to 4471, although some- 

 what older and castrated earlier in the year. Her history subsequent 

 to castration and up to the time 4471 began to molt is the same. This 

 bird underwent the usual molt, but showed only male feathers until 

 killed late in November 1914. 



As in the ducks, several instances have been observed where the 

 assumption of male plumage was not complete, many of the feathers 

 being in an intermediate condition, although the birds were com- 

 pletely castrated, as shown by autopsy or operation. One instance is 



