284 MK. C, C. HURST : EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES 



All the normals had dark eyes and the albinos pink eyes. 

 Several types appeared in the same litter, and each individual 

 hybrid produced all the types. 



This epidemic of variation in the second generation of hybrids 

 has been the common experience of experimenters both in animals 

 and plants, and before the Mendelian principles became known 

 remained practically unexplained. By the aid of the Meudelian 

 principles we are able to see at once that there are at least4 pairs 

 of distinct characters concerned in the offspring of the second 

 generation, each pair being inherited independently of the others, 

 viz. : — Short and Angora coat, normality and albinism, grey and 

 black coat, self-coloured and marked coat. 



In order to simplify such a complicated problem, each of these 

 4 pairs of characters will be dealt with singly, and the offspring 

 of each individual detailed separately. To facilitate this, each 

 individual was numbered as soon as it was used at the stud, 

 which number is reserved solely for that individual throughout 

 its life. 



The 4 individuals used at the outset were as follows : — No. 1 

 doe and No. 4 buck were pure bred Belgian Hares raised out of 

 the same litter. No. 2 buck and No. 3 doe were pure-bred 

 White Angoras, both by the same buck but out of different 

 does. 



These 4 individuals were obtained from local fanciers, whose 

 pure and constant strains had been under observation for several 

 years, so that no extensive tests of their purity and constancy 

 were deemed necessary. Por the purpose, however, of securing 

 young stock for further experiments, 4 litters, containing 28 

 individuals, were raised from the pair of Belgians and the pair 

 of Angoras ; all of these bred true to their parents in all the 

 characters with which we are concerned. 



(1) Short and Angora Coat. 



The coat of the " Belgian Hare *' rabbit, in common with that 

 of the wild rabbit and most of the domesticated races, is made 

 up of short coarse fur, the longest hairs of which seldom exceed 

 one inch. 



The coat of the Angora race consists o£ long, fine wool, the 

 longest hairs of which often exceed six inches. 



The two kinds of coat are unmistakable, not only in the 



