24 COMMISSION OF C ONSERVATION 



Dr. Eugene Davenport makes an explanation of the 

 ^f^H^brid^^^ action of Mendel's Law of Hybrids that will prove 

 instructive to many breeders. He says: 



"When diverse characters are thus brought together two 

 very different results may follow. They may blend into a single 

 new character, in which case our figiires show the 'proportions 

 within the blood, or they may remain distinct as two independent 

 characters within the same individual. Stature and size as well 

 as many colours blend freely, but not all characters behave in 

 that simple way. For example, white and black blend freely 

 in the human race, and the offspring of white and negro are mulat- 

 toes of various shades, according to the respective infusions; but 

 colours do not blend in pigs, which are either black, white, or 

 spotted, never roan or mulatto. Some colours blend in horses 

 (roan) ; some do not. Some breeds of cattle have blended colours 

 (Shorthorns); in others, the colours remain distinct (Holstein- 

 Friesian.) 



"And so with characters generally. Many will blend and 

 many others will not. When they will not blend, then the appear- 

 ance is still less a guide to the real hereditary qualities, and under 

 these circumstances it is little or no index to what wUl happen 

 when the mixture is bred. This fact was long a great stumbling- 

 block to breeders, involving the business of improvement in 

 unfortunate and as we now know, unnecessary mystery." 



Silver Colour Suppose that a breeder has a silver fox, which, being 

 Reces^sivfto recessive, always breeds true, and he chooses a pure 

 Red type of red fox for a mate, being careful in order to 



secure pureness of type to obtain the red fox from a district where 

 no melanism exists. Let the red fox be denoted by R. R. and the 

 black or silver fox by B. B. (As to results, the sexes are equal in 

 influence.) 



R.R. + B.B. 



R.B R.B R.B R.B 



(red) (red) (red) (red) 



All pups are red, but of the bastard type mentioned above, with 

 blacker points, — legs, muzzles and ears. They are really half black, 

 but the colour is hidden or recessive in the first generation, red being 

 dominant. 



