382 MAINE AGRICUIvTURAI, EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I2. 



in the 'Over 30' class and in excess in the 'Zero' class. The ex- 

 planation of this is undoubtedly, as has been pointed out in the 

 body of the paper, to be found in disturbing physiological 

 factors. The high producing hen, somewhat like the race horse, 

 is a rather finely strung, delicate mechanism, which can be easily 

 upset, and prevented from giving full normal expression to its 

 inherited capacity in respect to fecundit}^ 



In order to forestall any possible change of manipulation of 

 the data to support a particular hypothesis all of the figures 

 (with the exception of 7 birds discussed on p. 360 and the F^ 

 mating of $ 578) have been entered throughout exactly as 

 tney stood on the original books of record. That is to say, 

 some birds known to be physiologically abnormal or pathologi- 

 cal have not been rejected, but have been entered in the tables 

 and then discussed in the accompanying text. Whether this is 

 accounted a justifiable procedure or not will depend upon one's 

 point of view in some degree. The investigator is usually ex- 

 pected to reject abnormal material. But in view of the rather 

 hysterical attacks upon geneticists and their method of work 

 now becoming so fashionable in this country, if for no other 

 reason, it seems best to follow the plan of publishing all the data. 

 The opponents to the views which underlie the INTendelian inter- 

 pretation here advanced are quite welcome to make as much 

 capital as they are able to out of the discrepancies between ob- 

 servation and theory in the several tables. It seem.s only fair, 

 however, to ask that a judgment of the adequacy of the hypoth- 

 esis be not formed from this summary table 33, but instead from 

 the detailed data in the body of the paper. 



Possible criticisms 



In consideration of the fact that this paper constitutes one of 

 tne first attempts to apply a Mendelian interpretation to the facts 

 regarding the inheritance of an economically productive charac- 

 ter of an animal, and in view of the possible application of the 

 results or the methods of this paper to other productive charac- 

 ters of other organisms it is important to examine carefully and 

 critically the nature of the evidence and the objections which 

 may be brought against the conclusions. In the first place it is 

 important to note once more that the data and their interpreta- 



