150 LOTSY AND KUIPER, A PRELIM. STATEMENT OF THE RESULTS OF MR. 
During the time devoted to the raising of the funds the situation at 
Mr. Houwinx’s establishment had become desperate, so that the mat- 
ter was again put before the Council of the above named Society, on 
whose advice the Secretary of Agriculture granted a small sum to 
keep at least the hybrids between the wild species of Gallus alive for 
the period of a year during which a home for these birds could be 
sought. 
In this we succeeded by the liberality of Mr. W. J. H. LEURING, a 
retired physician at Mook, who agreed to keep the birds and provide 
for their food and attendance, which he continues to do up to the pre- 
sent moment, while the hare-rabbitcrosses were for some time kept by 
the senior author and have now been transferred to the Agricultural 
College in Wageningen, where they are under the care of Professor J. 
A. HONING. 
As to the authors’ share in Mr. Houwrnx’s work the following needs 
mentioning. It was the senior author’s privilege to make Mr. Hov- 
WINK’s acquaintance shortly after he began his experiments, to advise 
him as to the best way of conducting them and to discuss with him the 
results obtained, during the several times he visited Mr. HOUWINK at 
Meppel. It was at his advice, that Mr. Houwink engaged as scientific 
assistants first Dr. H. N. KooIMAN and later Dr. K. KUIPER neither of 
whom however could stay very long. 
Finally, the task of writing up the results, fell, much against his will, 
to the share of the senior author, as Dr. KUIPER had been appointed 
biological assistant to the Director of the Zoological Gardens in Rotter- 
dam and no longer could spare the time. The senior author does not 
hesitate to say that this task has been full of difficulties; the material, 
both alive and dead, had become scattered and had to be brought to- 
gether, and .... not all on whose information he had to rely, applied 
that promptness in replying which is so highly appreciated by the en- 
quirer. The greatest difficulty of all however was his ignorance in mat- 
ters pertaining both to the wild species of Gallus and to domestic 
poultry, an ignorance which he fears will be glaringly apparent in the 
following pages. The best excuse he can offer, was his desire to record 
faithfully the results of much labour and trouble spent on material 
which can but with difficulty be got. 
