Abstract
(1) PROF. CASTLE was fortunate enough to secure in Peru a number of specimens of a wild species of guinea-pig, Cavia cutleri, Bennett, which is the probable ancestor of the numerous domesticated races which have had their origin in that country and have been introduced elsewhere. He found that this wild species produced completely fertile hybrids when crossed with various races of domesticated guinea-pigs, and the results of the hybridising experiments go to show that all the domesticated colour-varieties have arisen from C. cutleri by loss-variation or loss-mutation. It does not follow, however, that wild species have arisen in this way, as some believe, for it is significant that the Brazilian wild species, C, rufescens, yields sterile hybrid males when crossed with the domesticated vaneties, while similar crosses between C. cutleri and domesticated varieties yield completely fertile hybrids. One of the general results of Prof. Castle's hybnidisation experiments is to confirm his previous conclusion that size inheritance is blending and does not mendelise. It is not denied, however, that in special cases mendelising factors may exist that affect size.
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T., J. Studies in Genetics 1 . Nature 99, 226–228 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/099226b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/099226b0