464 TEE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Yol. LVI 



The progenies of the brachytie-adherent-ramose hybrid fur- 

 nish evidence that the ramose character may belong to the same 

 linkage series, though the linkage is rather loose. 



Although the tassels of ramose plants are much larger than 

 those of normal plants and it seemed not unreasonable to ex- 

 pect adherent-ramose tassels to present a large thickened mass, 

 nothing of the sort was found and the ramose-adherent plants 

 could be separated from the normal-adherent plants only by 

 examining the ears. 



White and colored seeds were planted separately, but the 

 percentage of the three characters are essentially alike, as is 

 shown by the following figures indicating that all three are in- 

 dependent of one of the aleurone factors : 



White seeds planted 16.4 ± 1.65 24.3 ± 1.92 ! 31.5 d= 2.04 



Colored seeds planted I 18.3 ± 1.00 i 21.1 ± 1.07 27.9 ± 1.17 



Difference 1.9 ± 1.93 \ 3.2 ± 2.2 3.6 ± 2.34 



J. H. Kempton 



Bureau of Plant Industry, 



A GENE FOR THE EXTENSION OF BLACK 

 PIGMENT IN DOMESTIC FOWLS ' 



The results of recent experiments on the inheritance of 

 plumage colors in fowls indicate that varieties in which black 

 pigment extends to all or nearly all of the plumage (e.g., self 

 black) differ by one dominant autosomal gene from varieties in 

 which black pigment is restricted to the hackle, flight and tail 

 feathers (e.g., Columbian and buif varieties). This gene has 

 been called ''extension of meianic pigment" and has been as- 

 signed the symbol E"^. 



The evidence is derived from reciprocal crosses between Black 

 Orpington and Columbian pattern (Light Brahma) fowls. 

 Whichever way the cross is made the chicks are all black 

 in the down. As adults, the males from the reciprocal crosses 

 are alike. They are black with white-bordered hackles and 

 saddle feathers; white-bordered and splashed or stippled wing 

 coverts and narrow white borders on the upper breast feathers. 

 They resemble fairly typical Dark Brahma or Duckwing males. 



1 Contributions in Poultry Genetics, Storrs Agr. Experiment Station. 



