no MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXrERIME;NT STATION. I9IO. 



higher than the pure pea and may usually, though not always, 

 be distinguished from them. Sometimes the heterozygous pea 

 comb is so large and has the ridges so ill-defined that it ap- 

 proaches the single type, but combs which cannot at once be 

 referred to one class or the other are extremely rare. The 

 distinction is especially sharp in the case of newly hatched 

 chicks, becoming somewhat less marked with later development. 

 F.j^ from this cross is of the usual form, three pea : one single." 

 -While, in a general way, the present investigation may be 

 said to confirm the above statement, yet such a statement does 

 not appear to us to give an entirely adequate view of the facts. 



In the first place, so far at least as the experimental work at 

 this Station is concerned, involving as it has excellent breeding 

 stock on both sides, the definiteness of the dominance of pea 

 over single comb in the first generation hybrids does not im- 

 press one. On the contrary there can be no doubt that if a 

 competent poultryman, thoroughly acquainted with the fancy 

 points of poultry, were to go through a large flock of these 

 hybrids as they run on the range he would say that the cross 

 of pea by single, at least as represented with Cornish Indian 

 Games and Barred Plymouth Rocks, results in giving every 

 intermediate condition of comb between perfect pea and perfect 

 single. The number of pea combs obtained in these hybrids 

 which were perfect from the fanciers' standpoint was exceed- 

 ingly small. Unfortunately it is not possible to measure or 

 to define very precisely the characteristics of these intermediate 

 combs. In taking notes on the birds on the range the only 

 record regarding combs which it was practically feasible to 

 take was that they were either single, intermediate or pea. The 

 attempt was made in every case to indicate in the record 

 whether an intermediate comb was nearer to the single or to 

 the pea type. 



The essential results regarding comb inheritance as they 

 appear from the present work may best be set forth as follows : 



I. The number of perfect or approximately perfect pea 

 combs, considered from the show-room or fancier's standpoint, 

 which are obtained in these hybrids differs according to the 

 direction of the cross. In the mating Cornish (^ x Barred 

 Plymouth Rock $ a much larger number of relatively good 

 pea combs was obtained than in the reciprocal cross. This was 



