Genetics of Domestic Rabbits:
A Manual for Students of Mammalian Genetics
and an Aid to Rabbit Breeders and Fur Farmers by
W. E. Castle (Harvard University Press, Cambridge,
Mass., 1930)
This is a great book written by W.
E. Castle, who was Professor of Genetics at Harvard
University and
Research Associate at the Carnegie Institution of
Washington. Although Genetics of Domestic Rabbits
was written in 1930, most of the modern genes had
been "discovered" by then, so the book is still a
good resource. The first chapter covers the basic
genes involved in determining rabbit coat colors
and the associated mutations. In subsequent chapters,
Professor Castle describes linkage and multiple allelomorphs
for different genes and the genetic constitution
of various breeds. The book concludes with chapters
that cover the genes responsible for body size and
ear length, and the criteria for true-breeding types
and individuals.
Beginners who know nothing about genetics will find Genetics
of Domestic Rabbits easy to understand. This
is due to the excellent format of the book, which
starts with the basics and goes through a variety
of topics in a logical order. People who have some
knowledge of genetics and want to brush up will
also find this book to be useful. For anyone in
the science fields, Professor Castle's book is
an interesting reflection of the past.
Contributions
to the Genetics of the Domestic Rabbit by
W.E. Castle and Paul B. Sawin (Carnegie Institution
of Washington, 1932, Publication No. 427)
By
J. Ross
Once you have finished reading Professor Castle's
seminal work in the field, Genetics of Domestic
Rabbits, the next step is to read Contributions
to the Genetics of the Domestic Rabbit. This
book dives deeper into rabbit genetics, covering
the English and Dutch spotting genes and their combination
in the Hotot rabbit. (This coverage makes the book
a must for anyone raising or thinking about raising
Hotots of any size!) Contributions to the Genetics
of the Domestic Rabbit includes good pictures
and grading scales for the classification of English
and Dutch spotted rabbits.
The second half of the book, which
is written by Paul B. Sawin, is titled "Albino Allelomorphs of
the Rabbit with Special Reference to Blue-Eyed Chinchilla
and Its Variations." Sawain explains things such
as the variation in eye color in chinchillas, the
relation of the rusty back to eye color, and wide
ticking. This half of the book can is a little muddled,
but for those breeding chinchilla varieties, it can
shed a lot of light on the genetics behind the chinchilla
color.
