30 
Canary Breeding 
Let us look at the categories in order : 
I. This is p.p. (^(^ X p.d. ^% for there is no " pure " dark-eyed female. The 
result should be 50 7„ pink-eyed females and 50°/^ {P-d-<^<I') dark-eyed hetero- 
zygous males. Actually we have (/" 24 -f- o 4 dark-eyed and % 21 -f- o 7 pink-eyed 
offspring. 
II. This is p-p.^(^ xp.p.^% and should give 50% of pink-eyed (/'s and 
50 of pink-eyed % 's. The result 9 and % 13 is not opposed to this as there 
were o 13. 
III. This is d. d. J' X p. p. ^ . The result should be all offspring dark-eyed 
and the sexes in equal numbers. There were 110 dark-eyed and no pink-eyed. 
Of the canaries alone J' 20, $ 21, and o 9. The results accord with the theory. 
III. 1. This is d.d. 'xp-P- ^<f, the same as III. according to the theory. 
There were 22 ofifspring all dark-eyed, sexes are not available. 
III. 2 — 5. It would be interesting to consider these separately, but the 
material is not adequate. According to the theory they are all p. d. (/"cT '^P-P- 
and should give rise to 25 pink-eyed females, 25 pink-eyed males, 25 °/„ dark- 
eyed females and 25 "/^ dark-eyed heterozygous males. All together there were in 
fact 10 pink-eyed and 10 dark-eyed offspring, and 3 doubtful. The sexes were 
not ascertained. 
IV. This is on the theory rf. c?. </</ x p. cT ? and should give all dark-eyed, 
there were 283 offspring all dark-eyed, and equality of sexes. There were ^ 96 
and $ 93 and many unsexed. 
IV. 1. This is d.d. and d.p. ^ %. This again should give 50 7o hetero- 
zygous dark-eyed males and 50°/^ dark-eyed females. There were 16 dark-eyed 
offspring in all, sex not recorded. 
IV. 2 is d.p.^^ xd.p. $ cT and should give 25% pink-eyed females, 25°/^ 
dark-eyed females and 50 dark-eyed males. There were 15 dark-eyed, and 
6 pink-eyed progeny. 
IV. 8 — 4 should also give the same result. We have altogether (IV. 2 — 4) 
43 ofifspring, 11 pink-eyed and 32 dark-eyed; a result exceedingly close to the 
expected. There are too few sexed to allow of any definite conclusion. The 
whole subject deserves to be treated from far greater numbers. Thus far there is 
nothing in my observations — like the four dark-eyed hens of Durham and Marryat 
from d.p. % X p.^;. cTcf — at variance with the theory. 
VIII. Summary of Conclusions. 
I. All canary varieties have arisen from a grey or cinnamon sport occurring in 
the female — the pallid type of variation which occurs at present among many 
wild birds. 
This theory is advanced from a study of : 
1. Wild sports generally, in nature and in confinement. 
