Reports to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society. 1-5.

Date:
1902-1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Reports to the Evolution Committee of the Royal Society. 1-5. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    104/526 (page 100)
    toed. With regard to those characters, therefore, the strains must l>o called pure. Similarly the Indian Games and Dorkings, just emmmited, hiU'o always produced birds with the comb and foot characters* of theif respective breeds, so that in respect of these characters they also were pure. Of the actual numbers of thoroughbreds so produced onh' imperfect records were kept. They would have added to the com- pleteness of this account; but when the results of the crossings are understood it will be seen that these precise numbers would not have contributed anything of significance. In general terms, however, wo may say that these numbers were in each case considerable—say from twenty to fifty. ]\Iendelian Group. Crosses between Leglm-ns and Iiulian Game. Details of Experiments in regard to Comb. The following lists give the actual numbers of birds with each kind of comb obtained by crossing the parents enumerated on p. 99 with Leg- horns. The breeding of the Indian Games is stated in the course of the experiments. By 1 year, 2 years, &c., after the name of the bird is meant that it was in its first or second breeding season, &c. These and sulj- sequent experiments are numbered consecutively for reference. P.c. S.c. tl. I.a. BSA? (1 year) X LE:<? (1 year) 11 0 2. „ BSL ? (2 years) x do. (2 years) 9 0 3. „ BSR 9 (2 years) x Babr. S (1 year) 13 0 4. „ BSB ? (2 years) x do. S (1 year) 7 0 From BSB ? (one year) x BS (one year) were bred the following thoroughbred Indian Games—25 ? , 35 ? , and 30 S, which, mated with Leghorns, gave the following : P.c. S.c. 5. Babr. 110? (1 year) xI.G. 30<? (2 years) 19 0 6. Babr. 89 $ (1 year) x do. (1 year) 15 0 7. BrLl? (1 year) x do. (1 year) 19 0 8. Unknown white Lgli. ? bred by us, but label lost x do. (2 years) 19 0 * The extra toes may show occasionally one of the rarer states in these pure-bred birds, but one at least is always present. t The attempt to cross Legh. LK 2 with l.Gr. BS a' failed. It was tried repeatedly, sometimes by leaving the two birds for weeks together, at other times putting either in the other's cage. The cock always tore and kicked her, and though he had been kept alone for some days he never trod this particular hen. He was not tried with any other Leghorn.