Morgan, Thomas Hunt, Experimental zoölogy

(New York : London :  The Macmillan Company ; Macmillan & Co., Ltd.,  1907.)

Tools


 

Jump to page:

Table of Contents

  Page 113  



Experiments with other Mammals            113

In the light of this analysis that Bateson has made of Crampe's
data, there can be little doubt that Mendel's law applies to many
at least of the phenomena of heredity in rats. This is made
highly probable by the recent results of Doncaster. He finds
that there are only two color types, brown (or gray) and black, and
only two color patterns in the colored-and-white individuals.
In addition there are albinos, but these may carry in a latent
condition either the uniform black or brown color, or the pie¬
bald markings. Crosses between the black or the brown wild
rat with the albino may bring out the latent characters of the al¬
binos. Doncaster points out that Crampe's work shows that
brown (gray) dominates black, and both brown and black
dominate white. The self or uniformly colored races i, 2, 6, 7
(and those having small white areas below) dominate the pie¬
bald condition 3 and 5.

Doncaster states that Crampe's brown forms i, 2, 3,
correspond exactly with the similar black forms 7, 6, 5, "but are
less simple to work with since they may contain recessive black."
He finds two varieties of type 6, — one with much white and one
with very little. The latter belongs, in his opinion, to the uni¬
form type. Crampe failed to make this deduction, so that one
of his forms was probably heterozygous. Evidence that the
inheritance in rats is Mendelian was found by Doncaster in a
number of the crosses made to test this question.

Experiments with Cats

Doncaster has brought together a number of records, ob¬
tained from owners of pedigree cats, that show the color in¬
heritance of certain breeds. He examined more especially the
question as to why tortoiseshell cats are nearly always females.
His conclusions, as will be seen, have an important bearing on
the problem of dominance in relation to sex. Tortoiseshell kit¬
tens may be obtained in any of the following matings: —

{a) Tortoiseshell  ?  by tortoiseshell     $
ib) Tortoisesheh  9  by black or blue   $
  Page 113