1908.] INHERITANCE OF COLOUR IN PIGEONS. 95 



of whites. The 5 bird used in this cross was obtained from 

 Mr, G. S, Fayle of Birr, King's Co. It was white without any 

 trace of coloured feathers, having tlie iris white, or " pearh" 

 It was also " long-faced " and " clean legged," *. e. free from 

 feathering. Mr. Fayle very kindly gave the following details 

 of his experience in breeding the strain, which has been in his 

 possession for over twenty years. Tiie greatest difficulty in 

 breeding these birds is to obtain a white pigeon having a 

 white eye, as there is a very great tendency for white birds to 

 have dark eyes {v. ivfra). If, however, one or two coloured 

 feathers are present in the plumage the correct eye-colour is 

 more easily produced. Breeders are therefore in the habit of 

 occasionally introducing into their strain a sj)lashed bird in order 

 to improve the eye-colour. Mr. Fayle introduced two hens 

 splashed with red about fifteen years ago, and used them for one 

 breeding-season only. Since then he has never introduced any 

 bird that to his knowledge was bred from other than white parents. 

 He believes, however, that there is hardly a strain of wdiite 

 Tumblers in existence into which splashed birds have not, at some 

 period, been introduced. It was found that the strain occasionally 

 produced birds having a few coloured feathers, seldom more than 

 two or three, which were either black or red. These usually 

 appeared on the head or neck, and sometimes a secondary wing- 

 feather might be tipped with colour. These coloured feathers 

 were frequently not reproduced at the moult. Birds showing these 

 coloured feathers were never selected for breeding. It was 

 further noted that there was a greater tendency for birds having 

 the desired white eye to produce splashed offspring than those 

 having part or the whole of the eye dark. The eye-wattle is 

 white as are also the beak and claws. 



Types of Cross-bred Birds produced. 



The birds produced from this series of exj)eriments fell naturally 

 into the three classes of whites, wdiites wdth a few coloured 

 feathers or " splashes," and " Tricolors." If a larger number of 

 birds had been produced, it is possible that there might have been 

 some overlapping between the two latter classes. 



1 . Whites. 



In every mating of this series of experiments whites have been 

 produced. The number of whites bred was 17 ; and of the birds 

 showing coloured feathers 19. Owing to limitation of space, 

 extracted whites were not mated together. 



2. Whites toith afeio coloured feathers. 



The number of coloured feathei-s on birds described under this 

 class was very small, varying from two isolated feathers to a small 

 patch of about a dozen. In no case was there any approach to 

 mottling. The coloured feathers were in most cases on the neck 



