1908.] INHERITANCE OF COLOUR IN PIGEONS. 75 



short distance from the end of the taih There was freqnentl)^ 

 but not invariably, a white edging to the outer tail-feathers. 



" Kitiness." 



This term is used by breeders to express a rustiness or bronzing 

 of the black feathers. It gives to a black feather the appearance 

 of being edged with a reddish tinge. In certain breeds of pigeons, 

 notably the Jacobin, this characteristic persists through life in 

 some individuals. In the majority of cases, however, it is lost 

 either before or at the first moult. In the cross-bred birds pro- 

 duced in these experiments kitiness was observed in many of the 

 young birds. It appeared not only on the blacks but also on the 

 smoky-black parts of the plumage of birds classed as blues. In 

 the case of every bird that was allowed to reach maturity the 

 kitiness disappeared, except in cases where it was present on the 

 flight-feathers. In this situation it was noticed to persist through 

 life. There is, at present, no reason to suppose that kitiness 

 influences inheritance of colour. 



3. Blacks and Blues vnth some white feathers. 



It is convenient to describe these two types together. They 

 differ from the two preceding types only in being more or less 

 mottled with white. The amount of white varies very greatly. 

 The black colour has never been observed to be of the sooty shade, 

 but always deep as in the Barb. The amount of white present 

 appears to increase with the number of generations from the 

 original cross. With very few exceptions colour has been in 

 excess of white in these birds. The white is found in certain 

 fairly well-defined areas, of which the following is a list arranged 

 roughly in the order of frequency of occurrence. 



1. Rump, vent, and thighs. 



2. Certain ai-eas on the head, noticeably the occiput and post- 



orbital regions. The neck. The lower part of the 

 abdomen. Carpal joints. The bastard wings. 



3. Primary flight- feathers generally commencing with the most 



external, and tertiaries immediately over them. Tail- 

 feathers generally commencing with those near the middle, 

 and both upper and upper tail-coverts. 



4. Bi-east, wing-coverts, and scapulars. 



Bonhote has shown in the Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xxix. p. 185, 

 that the presence or absence of colour tends to make its appear- 

 ance in mammals and birds in certain definite areas, which he 

 has named '■'■ j)oecilomeres,'" and of which he gives a list in the 

 Proceedings of the IVth International Ornithological Congress. 

 It will be noticed that the positions of the white in these pigeons 

 agree closely with Bonhote's observations. 



In the descriptions of the results of matings details of the 

 various markings are given. 



