244 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. LVI 



and two were buff with black down on beads and saddles 

 and with black feathers in the wings. All of the white 

 chicks developed adult plumage resembling the Colum- 

 bian pattern except that the black in the hackles, tail and 

 wings was a dingy gray, occurring as stippling on the 

 white ground rather than as a solid color. The buff chicks 

 which survived developed adult plumage in which the 

 hackles, tail and wing feathers were gray or black, while 

 the feathers over the rest of the body were buff. These 

 resembled mosaics of buff and Columbian in which the 

 Columbian pattern was imposed on a buff ground.^ 

 In tabular form the results of this cross were as follows: 



TABLE I 



The appearance of two kinds of offspring in equal num- 

 bers from this cross indicated that one parent was prob- 

 ably heterozygous in a factor causing the difference be- 

 tween white and buff. Later work showed this to be the 

 male. When a purebred Light Brahma male was mated 

 to purebredi buff females (Orpingtons and Plymouth 

 Rocks) the thirty-seven offspring were without exception 

 white in the down and developed into white Columbians 

 as adults. The dominance of white over buff was prac- 

 tically complete although one or two buff feathers were 

 noted on one hybrid and a slight buff tinge on another. 



3 The resemblance of these hybrids to descriptions and illustrations of 

 early buff varieties (Tegetmeier, 1872) is quite striking. At present the 

 only buff variety characterized by a considerable amount of black in 

 hackles, wings and tail is the Buff Brahma, although this is not yet recog- 

 nized by iwultrymen as a standard type. 



The coloration characteristic of the Rhode Island Bed breed is essenti- 



of '^ong experience if given by Robinson (1921) see esp. pp. 55 and 56. 



