A Race of White Canaries

The Journal of Heredity, Volume 5, Issue 5 – 1914
Organ of the American Genetic Association, Washington, DC
A monthly publication dedicated to Plant Breeding, Animal Breeding and Eugenics

Establishment of a race of white canaries is described in a recent number of Knowledge, by Maud S. Martin. It started with a hen from a much in-bred buff strain, that sported to pure white, and was mated with an unrelated buff male. All of the offspring were buff, but when bred together gave 48 buff chicks and 18 white ones. Matings were carried through the third generation seemed to prove that the color was subject to Mendelian laws, buff being dominant and white recessive. Twenty-five extracted recessives were secured and are now breeding pure in every generation. They seem to be full as vigorous as the type, and have black, not pink, eyes.

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An more detailed account appears in Experiment Station Record, Volume 30.