HOUWINK’S EXPER. CONC. THE ORIGIN OF SOME DOMESTIC ANIMALS 225 
Several points are worth noticing: 
a) the F, evidently segregates as, 
the rst chicken obtained was of a WHITISH-GREY COLOR, WITH 
THREE DARK STREAKS ON THE HEAD, yellow 
shanks and wingfeathers pale brown with dark 
barrings, just like the markings of the wing of the 
hybrid hen and exactly like those of a jungle hen. 
When startled, it darted about with great rapi- 
dity, more swiftly than the ordinary domestic 
chick, and very like the wild jungle chick. It was 
a good flyer at the age of nine days, flying with 
ease up on to a perch more then 4 feet from the 
ground. At night it always roosted on a high 
perch under the mother’s wing; a domestic chick 
could not do this at such an age. 
the 2d chicken on the contrary was very small in size, resembling 
that of a black-breasted red game bantam. In co- 
louring it was much darker than the first IT WAS OF 
A DECIDED BROWN COLOR, WITH A BROAD BAND OFA 
DARKER BROWN ON THE HEAD AND DOWN THE BACK. 
b) , the large number of eggs laid by this one hybrid hen: 86 between 
June 1. 1906 and March 31, 1907, while the mother „a common 
mongrel domestic’’, probably never laid more than 60 ot 70 per 
annum.” Of course the latter is a mere surmise, so that not much 
importance can be attached to the number laid by the hybrid, 
the less so as, even if its domestic mother laid but a small number 
of eggs, she may have had ancestors laying a larger number. 
c) „the fact that the hybrid hen so seldom became broody, only three 
times from June 1 1906 to March 31 1907, twice of which times 
she sat full time, while on the third occasion she forsook her nest 
after about one week’’. As nothing is known of broodiness of the 
mother this point is not of much interest either. 
d) ,,the low percentage of fertile eggs in each batch. Usually but one egg 
in a batch was fertde, when more than one were fertile, it are not 
consecutive eggs that are fertile, but they occur at irregular inter- 
vals’’. Unfortunately the treading of the cock was never observed. 
Dr. THomAs asks: „What conclusion is to be drawn? That the 
cock only fertilises one egg for one treading; and that he only 
Genetica VI | 15 
