SEXUALLY-LIMITED INHERITANCE. 
157 
‘up. 
Xv. 
Q ^ s l J1 'ii| JaVe a muc ^ ^ lor ^ er tail than that of the pure 
Q ( j? ^mmcrring’s pheasant. 3 
5la] es ail eier, in order to make his new breed with the 
a decided pale-blue tint, and the females ltn- 
^tfiTw ’ would have to continue selecting the males 
Si! , man y generations ; ami each stage of paleness 
^k‘nt ■ laVe to ^ xe( l in the males, and rendered 
t' le females. The task would be an extremely 
Sy 0ne > and has never been tried, but might pos- 
sC CCOe d. The chief obstacle would be the early 
s ity ^plete loss of the pale-blue tint, from the neces- 
Wtej rei terated crosses with the slaty female, the 
I Ja le.Li l0t having at first any latent tendency to produce 
On p 6 offs pring. 
^Ve t ,e °ther hand, if one or two males were to vary 
(.fi Sl .'"hOy in paleness, and the variations were 
^ hrst limited in their transmission to the male 
of making a new breed of the desired 
If, ' 0 ]'hl be easy, for such males would simply have 
* e °ted and matched with ordinary females. An 
ST 
3,01 ls e ase has actually occurred, for there are 
of Oie 
f, e ar e 
s 
pigeon in Belgium 4 in which the males 
t! lr; ’/Nations 
marked with black striae. In the case of the 
'hit 
e dt. 
of colour limited in their transmission to 
s ex habitually occur. Even when this form of 
some 
! th 6 an<:6 prevails, it might well happen that 
J9 tp ai , f . Ce<J ssive steps in the process of variation might 
I e 5 le< ^ to the female, who would then come to 
n ' ee ds V Q a 8 %kt degree the male, as occurs in some 
0 the fowl. Or again, the greater number, but 
fe ,ri b ? a X s that the tail of the female Flmsianns Sivmmerringii 
i^g 1110 ™ 8 l° n & ‘ Planches coloriees,’ voL v. 1838, p. 487 and 
l>. ]J^6 co ln aSUremeilta a hore given were made lor mo by Mr. Sclater. 
, , 12] ltQon Pheasant, see Macgillivray, 1 Hist. Brit. Birds,’ vol. i. 
■Ch; 
a puis 
‘Le Pigeon Voyagcur Beige,’ 1865, p. 87. 
