160 1VHEUITANCE, FERTILITY, AND SK.\ IN IMCKONS. 



seen that in this mating the parents are both "hybrids" and that a predomi- 

 nance of dark color resulted from the "strong germs" of the spring, and a pre- 

 dominance of white or of light color from the "weaker germs " of the late season 

 and "out-season." The period of white and pale color is here clearly seen to be 

 the season of greatest infertility. 



A case quite like this, but even more diagrammatic in its representation of 

 the relation of color-dominance to season and fertility, is recorded in table 155. 

 This case was separately transcribed by the author from the breeding record and 

 given the following comment. It seems best to present this comment in quite the 

 original form: 



White coming in at end of season : 



c?RS-A3 color dark as a Japanese ring, 

 ~9~THlTA-A color white. 

 These birds in 1908 had the following young : 



A. hatched 6/5, dark as sire. C 1 . hatched 8/22, white ! 



C 2. no development. 



B 1. hatched 7/10, dark as sire. D 1. laid 9/11, no development. 



B 2. hatched 7/10, ring-dove color. 1) 2. laid 9/13, no development. 



Laid once or twice more during autumn, but no development. The color began with 

 dark, later became blond ring, later, white; still later, no development. (R 16) 



The sex-ratio obtained from the several matings of non-hybrid females with 

 males of closely related species, considered in this chapter, is summarized in table 

 156. It will be noted that the ratio is normal and that few of these young were 

 produced from eggs laid at an abnormally rapid rate. Some of the species involved 

 in these crosses with closely related species, and yielding here a normal or nearly 

 normal sex-ratio, are the same species which have earlier been noted to throw very 

 high proportions of males when mated with very distantly related species. 



TABLE 155. 



cf | alba-| ris.-l surat. hyb. (HS-A3); 3/24/07; 6/28/10; 39 mo.; dark as douraca. 

 9 TJ'J ris.-j'.T surat.-' hum. 1 ;; alba ('I'll 0-A-A) (sec note) ; 9/15/07; whiti-. 

 A. 4/11/08; no development (this egg from mating with brother (RS-A 1) of above cf ) 

 a 1 A. 5/20/08 RS-TH-A nearly color of sire; dark dead 8/13/08 12 wka. 



d" B 1. 6/24 RS-TH-B-r. . .trace lighter than sire; dark dead 9/30/08 14 wks. 



B 2. 6/26 RS-TH-B-Z . . . like risoriapale. 



d 1 C 1. 8/6 RS-TH-C white! dead 1/1/10 17 mo. 



C 2. 8/8; no development. 



D 1. 9/11; no development. (Some later eggs; no development.) 



D 2. 9/13; no development. 



E 1. 4/12/09 . . . .RS-TH-E color of sire, dark. 



E 2. 4/14/09; developed to hatching, failed; opened, found dead; white. (DD) 



NOTE. "It is possible that TH 6-A the sire of TH 6-A-A is a hybrid between the common ring (St. risoria) 

 and the Japanese ring (St. douraca). I had Japanese rings (2), and common rings in the yard, and they may have mated 

 and laid an egg in the nest of cf TH 6 (mated with a 9 alba). This possibility I should not think of except that TH G-A 

 had the color and form of such a hybrid, and his voice was that of such a hybrid strongly resembling a. Japanese ring's voice. 

 Even TH 6-A-A, although white, yet has a voice that strongly reminds of the Japanese ring. Still I have to hold to the 

 above composition." Later Professor Whitman said (G 8): "I now think that this resemblance of voice to that of the 

 Japanese ring comes through surantensis. The syllables are. the same in number as in suratensis and the quality and 

 rhythm arc similar, though plainly distinct." 



