No. 639] INHERITANCE OF BLUE IN POULTRY 



301 



which are noticeably pigmented. In response to a letter 

 of inquiry Professor Arthur Smith of the University of 

 Minnesota, the editor of this book, tells me that niy ob- 

 servation concerning- the presence of ])ig'niciit in these 

 chicks is correct and he adds in snbstnnee that tlu' i)i,u- 

 mented chicks develop into the whitest achilts. 



The fertility and hatching- ])<)wei' of the egus I'l-oni the 



eliicks hatched was iiiereasinuly disaiipoiiitin-- t'l'oin 

 season to season. AVhih' the coniparallx-e eoel'tiei.Mits n\' 

 fertility and hatching power haw not been eahadated, the 

 ratio between the eggs set ami chicks liatclu'd lias un- 

 doubtedly been lower on the a\ei'age. than for the pure- 

 bred unrelated matings of the same and other In-eeds, set 

 in the same incubator at the same time, and certainly 

 lower than would be counted satisfactory in ordinary 

 poultry husbandry practise. 



The foregoing ap])lies as well to the rate of mortality. 

 As representati\c of the nnnil)ei-> sni-\-i\ing to gi-ow 

 definitive feathers in conii.arisoii with the connts re- 

 corded in the vai-ion> table>. thos,. of tin' K, fn.ni the 

 ])hie-splashe<l Andaln>ian ' ■ white Wyandotte ? may be 

 giN-en. The connls iua<le whi'ii the chick> were feathered 

 were 47 blue, is l.]ne->] •lashed. :;7 Mack, ami 4^ white. 

 The total count recor.h-d (see Table uronp 1) was 

 100 blue, 4(5 blne->pla>hed. Co black, and (54 wllit.^ The 

 reasons for the low liatchabilily ami high moi-tality have 

 not been established. 



Until eon>idei-al)l\' more data than are imw available 

 have been secnivd it seem. be>t t.. call atti'nlion to the 

 possibilitv of cro>Mng-over l^etweoi the loci .>f h' and E 

 by indicating their po.-ible recessive allelomorphs. It is 

 accordin-lv the practise in this paper to imlicate these 

 factors thus: illr) and (rA'). 



\V. TilK KkI.ATIuX of r.lKXoTM'K To SkX 



to sex before examining the ].n>genie> of the variou> 



