COLOR INHERITANCE IN GEESE

Abstract

A t the time these studies were commenced, very little had been published o n inheritance in geese. Knob on the bill, as it occurs in the China and African breeds, was thought to be a dominant character although no critical analysis of the character was available. Both Gordon (1938) and Quinn (1939) describe sex~lal dimorphism in the down and adult color of certain breeds of geese. Quinn describes the male and female Pilgrim, Gordon a variety of Alabama geese similar to the Pilgrim in color. Thesc investigators did not attempt t o analyze the cause of the sexual dimorphism. T h e most valuable reference available t o the author was b y Flags in 1897, and, while no genetical analysis was made of the crosses described in his report, a number of reproductions of photographs of crossbred gcese were incorporated. These were helpful t o a certain extent. Because of the laclt of 1tno.ivledge concerning the inheritance of any plumage color in geese the first crosses were of an exploratory nature. Fortunately, most of these crosses yielded useful infornxtion and paved the way for m i r e critical crosses. These were reported (Jerome 1953 and 1954) as the worlc progressed. T h e object of this paper is to assemble the pertinent results from all these crosses into a more logical and understandablc sequence than was presented in the original reports. T h e first cross to be described is that of a Whi te China iuale X tivo Toulouse females. T h e U7hite China carries no melanic pigment in the plumage when hatched or as an adult. T h e mature malcs and females carry a t)ulbous ltnob on the upper surface of the bill. Tl-ie Toulouse carries a solid pattcrn of darlt gray color. N o ltnob is present on thc bill. F rom this cross three males and two females 'irlere produced. W h e n hatched, the pattern and down color of the goslings were very similar to those of the Toulouse goslings. T h e adult plumage, however, differed froin the Toulouse in two distinct respects. Each cf :he offspring exhibited a darlt stripe down the baclt of the neck similar to :hat of the Bro\i~n China breed. i n addition, each of the five mature crossbreeds exhibited a white patch on the breast in the shape of a crescent. As adults, each carried a ltnob o n the bill. However, this knob never reached the extreme size of the ltnob carried by the W h i t e China parent.