The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual charactersMorgan, Thomas Hunt
Science
The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual characters
Morgan, Thomas Hunt
Genetics; Poultry; Sex (Biology)
“Passeres: Fringilla coelebs, Pyrrhula vulgaris, coccinea, Loxia
chloris, Turdus merula, Ruticilla phoenicurus, ochrura,
chrysogastra, Cyanecula Wolfii, Sturnus vulgaris, Ampelis cotinga.
“Scansores: Cuculus canorus, Edolius glandarius.
“Grallatores: Machetes pugnax.
“Natatores: Anas boschas domest.
“Es ware denkbar, dass die Hahnenfedrigkeit, wenn auch in
verkapptem Grade, allen Vögeln, selbst denjenigen zukomme, deren
Gefieder uns geschlechtlich uniform zu sein scheint. Wie dem auch
sei, einzelne Genera und Species scheinen mehr, andere weniger zur
Arrhenoidie prädisponirt. So bemerkt J. Geoffrey St. Hilaire (p.
511), dass Fasanen häufiger selbst als die Hühner hahnenfedrig
werden, während für den Pfau, den man doch stets eines natürlichen
Todes sterben lässt, ihm nur ein einziger Fall (der von Hunter)
bekannt geworden. Während Lorenz (vide Tichomirow) auf dem Moskauer
Markt häufiger hahnenfedrige Weibchen von Phasianus colchicus and
mongolicus aufgefunden, ist ihm dieses fur Ph. chrysomelas bisher
kein einziges Mal gelungen, obgleich die Zahl der jährlich in
Moskau feilgebotenen Exemplare dieser Art sich auf 8000 Stück
belaufen möchte.”
The preceding cases relate to exceptional changes in the plumage as
observed in nature, or in birds kept under domestication. We may next
examine the cases where the ovary or the testis has been removed.
The earlier observations of Berthold, Wagner, Hanau, Samuel, Sellheim,
Pirsche, Foges, Shattock, and Seligman are sufficiently covered by later
work quoted below. Sellheim’s work, however, is especially to be noted,
since he gives some measurements covering the weight of the brain,
heart, and body of the cock and capon, as well as observations on the
skull and skeleton. The weight of the brain is slightly less in the
capon, but the body-weight is greater. He questions whether the ovary
has ever been successfully removed, and he shows that the operation of
resecting the oviduct does not, as was supposed, lead to the
degeneration of the ovary. On the contrary, he found that after the
effects of the operation had been removed the ovary began again its
functions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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