-1920.] 



Chickens and Rabbits. 



373 



CHICKENS AND RABBITS; PROFESSOR 

 PUNNETT'S EXPERIMENTS. 



The important experimental work now being carried out 

 at Cambridge by Professor R. C. Punnett, F.R.S., has a vital 

 bearing on the development of the poultry industry. That 

 branch of small live stock keeping is receiving the special atten- 

 tion and care of the Ministry through its Rural Industries 

 Branch, and together with poultry breeding a strong effort 

 is being made to foster rabbit breeding as well. Professor 

 Punnett's experiments, although they are in some respects 

 in their infancy, skould add much to our knowledge of scientific 

 breeding. 



As far as poultry is concerned his researches point to certain 

 modifications. It may be well, for example, to breed from 

 coloured strains in preference to all-white, because in the all-white 

 it is impossible to tell the sexes apart on hatching. At the same 

 time, it is true that the all- whites are about the best utility birds 

 at present. High laying qualities are transmitted especially by 

 the male, and consequently where laying-strain birds are 

 concerned, cockerels must be kept for store. The flocks of 

 White Leghorns and White Wyandottes are beautiful to look 

 upon in proper surroundings, but their superiority does not 

 arise from any thing inherent in the white that makes for 

 better laying, but because more attention has been paid to it 

 in the way of selecting and breeding from the best laying 

 stock. Professor Punnett holds that were equal attention paid 

 to coloured strains, these might be made just as good. In 

 that case, they would be preferable, because the surplus cockerels 

 could be eliminated on hatching. Silver and gold crosses may 

 be kept with advantage. For example. Professor Punnett 

 recommends the brown Leghorn cock and silver grey Dorking 

 hen, or black Leghorn cock and Plymouth Rock hen, or black 

 Leghorn cock and Cuckoo hen, or Buttercup cock and silver 

 Wyandotte hen. The result of crossing is curious. All the 

 progeny of a gold cock and a silver hen reverse the colours. 

 The cocks are silver and hens golden. Even at birth, and this is 

 an important point, the differences can be seen. Professor 

 Punnett showed this by an illustration in a recent article in 

 this Journal.'^ He advocates the immediate killing of the 

 male birds, so that the trouble and expense of rearing go only 

 10 the pullets. Elsewhere he has discussed the superiority (>f 

 cross-bred pullets over pure strains for : eneral j'urposos of egg 

 production. By cross-breds he does not mean mongrels, but 



The issue for February. 191 9. p. 131 9. 



