96 MR. R. STAPLES-BROWNE ON [Feb. 18, 



or scapular region, and occasionally on the rump or tail. The 

 colour generally found was red, but black, bluish black, and blue 

 were seen. In the few cases in which birds were kept a second 

 year, it was seen that the coloured feathers in one case did not 

 reappear after the moult, and there was also one instance of red 

 feathers being replaced by blackish ones. 



3. " Tricolor type." 



In the F. 2 and F. 3 generations birds were produced which 

 were red and white with some blue feathers. With one out- 

 standing exception (F. 3 ; 9) birds of this type Avere fairly uniform 

 in marking. The head and upper part of the neck and throat 

 were white slightly mottled with red. Lower down, especially 

 on the back and sides of the neck, the amount of red increased 

 gradually, and at the root of the neck there were no white 

 feathers. The upper part of the breast was red with a slight 

 bluish tinge between the red and the white of the lower part of 

 the breast and abdomen, on which there were no coloured feathers. 

 Here the line of demarcation between the colour and the white 

 was very distinct and " clean cut." The upper part of the back 

 and scapulars was red, generally of a lighter shade, and resolving 

 itself into a mere powdering, or the " straw^berry " shade of the 

 fancier. This was continued slightly on to the proximal wing- 

 coverts where there was mottling with white. The external 

 wing-coverts and all the flight-feathers were white. The lower 

 part of the back below the origin of the wings was white. The 

 rump was light blue, the shafts of the feathers being black. This 

 colour was carried on to the upper tail-coverts. The tail-feathers 

 were generally white, but in two cases some of the external 

 feathers showed a slight blue tinge with the shafts black. Yery 

 slight indications of a terminal bar could be made out, especially 

 when the tail was viewed from the under surface. In most cases 

 one or both flanks were blue, the colour being carried down onto 

 the thighs. The rest of the under surface was white. 



Details of the Matings. 

 Colour, 



The details which follow relate to the successive matings and to 

 the young produced respectively from them. The results are also 

 given in tabular form in Table VI. 



F. 1 Generation. 



Exp. 43.— White Tumbler 5 9 x White Fantail 6 18. 

 Nine young were produced of which six were white, and three 

 showed a very few coloured feathers, as follows : — 



No. 1. Two red feathers on the neck which were afterwards 

 moulted out. 



