12 INHERITANCE. Chap. XIIL 



and are more remarkable, as they occur in tlie same individual 

 in the strictest sense, and not as with plants through, a suc- 

 cession of bud-generations. With animals the act of rever- 

 sion, if it can be so designated, does not pass over a true 

 generation, but merely over the early stages of growth in the 

 same individual. For instance. I crossed several white hens 

 with a black cock, and many of the chickens were, during the 

 first year, perfectly white, but acquired during the second year 

 black feathers; on the other hand, some of the chickens 

 which were at first black, became during the second year 

 piebald with white. A great breeder 23 says, that a Pencilled 

 Brahma hen which has any of the blood of the Light Brahma 

 in her, will " occasionally produce a pullet well pencilled 

 during the first year, but she will most likely moult brown on 

 the shoulders and become quite unlike her original colours in 

 the second year." The same thing occurs with light Brahmas 

 if of impure blood. I have observed exactly similar cases 

 with the crossed offspring from differently coloured pigeons. 

 But here is a more remarkable fact : I crossed a turbit, which 

 has a frill formed by the feathers being reversed on its breast, 

 with a trumpeter ; and one of the young pigeons thus raised 

 at first showed not a trace of the frill, but, after moulting 

 thrice, a small yet unmistakably distinct frill appeared on 

 its breast. According to Girou, 24 calves produced from a red 

 cow by a black bull, or from a black cow by a red bull, are 

 not rarely born red, and subsequently become black. I 

 possess a dog, the daughter of a white terrier by a fox- 

 coloured bulldog ; as a puppy she was quite white, but when 

 about six months old a black spot appeared on her nose, and 

 brown spots on her ears. \\ hen a little older she was badly 

 wounded on the back, and the hair which grew on the 

 cicatrix was of a brown colour, apparently derived from 

 her father. This is the more remarkable, as with most 

 animals having coloured hair, that which grows on a wounded 

 surface is white. 



In the foregoing cases, the characters which with advancing 

 age reappeared, were present in the immediately preceding 



23 Mr. Teebay, in ' The Poultry 24 Quoted by Hofacker, * Ueber di« 



Book,' by Mr. Tegetmeier, 1866, p. Eigeaschaiten,' &c, s. 98. 



