A type-specific agglutinin (Gf agglutinin) to guinea fowl red blood cells was detected in normal chicken sera. Using the Gf agglutinin, two blood types, Gf and gf types were found in four domesticated strains (strain I-IV) and a wild strain (strain V) of guinea fowl. Results of mating tests indicated that the presence of Gf antigen was controlled by a autosomal dominant allele.
Gf agglutinin was found in sera of 143 (83.6%) of 171 chickens examined. Frequencies of Gf agglutinin titers were: 1-2 dilution, 51 individuals (29.8% of the total number); 4-8, 60 (35.1%); 16-32, 28 (16.4%); 64-128, 4 (2.3%).
The titers of Gf agglutinin could be kept in refregirator at least for 730 days, but the titers vanished within 116-730 days at 10-30°C room temperature and 116-145 days at 37°C in incubator.
The distribution of Gf and gf types in 1020 individuals was as follows; strain I: Gf type 183 (80.3%), gf type 45 (19.7%); strain II: Gf type 68 (10.5%), gf type 578 (89.5%); strain III: Gf type 12 (10.1%), gf type 107 (89.9%); strain IV: Gf type 15 (62.5%), gf type 9 (37.5%) and strain V: Gf type 3, gf type 0.
Frequencies of Gf and gf genes were 0.556 and 0.444, respectively, in strain I, 0.054 and 0.946 in strain II, 0.052 and 0.948 in strain III, and 0.388 and 0.612 in strain IV. Frequencies could not be determined in strain V.

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White-feathered and dark-feathered Japanese quail were crossed with yellow-feathered ones, and their offspring of several plumage color types including wild, white, dark, brown, yellow, mosaic type of dark and white, and mosaic type of brown and white were subjected to genetical analysis.
These types of plumage color are determined by the combinations of three pairs of autosomal allelic genes, namely, + and +^D, Y and y, and I and i.
The yellow plumage color gene (Y) that has a lethal effect in the homozygous form is not allelic to + (wild) or +^D (dark) but dominant to another wild color gene (y). The heterozygosity for these (Y/y) is epistatic to +/+, and +/+, Y/y forms Yellow plumage color with I/I or I/i. +^D/+^D, Y/y and +/+^D, Y/y gives dark and brown plumage color, respectively, indicating that the homozygous and/or heterozygous condition for dark gene (+^D/+^D and +/+^D) always epistatic to Y/y.
The homozygosity for melanine inhibiting gene (i/i) inhibits the yellow plumage in the same manner as it inhibits the wild, dark and brown plumage.

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In order to clarify the metabolism of protein and carbohydrate in chick embryos, changes in body and liver weights, total serum protein levels, and liver glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) activities were examined in 8-day-old and older chicken embryos and 1-day-old chicks of White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red and their reciprocal crossbreds, and Hinaidori. Total serum protein levels were measured by the method of LOWRY et al. (1951) and the GOT activities by the method of REITMAN-FRANKEL (1957). To reveal the existence of isozyme and its cellular distribution of GOT in embryonic liver, the starch gel electrophoresis described by LUSH (1961) and the fractionation of liver tissue used by ODA (1973) were employed. The following results were obtained:
1. Body and liver weights increased progressively with the development of embryos. Growth of embryo at the early stage was particulary rapid in Hinaidori, and the ratio of liver weights to body weights in this breed was higher than that in other breeds. In crossbreds, growth curves were similar to those of their maternal breeds.
2. Total serum protein levels increased gradually with the development of embryos in each breed and crossbreds except for Hinaidori, although they decreased temporarily at a period before hatching. In Hinaidori, after the level reached a peak in 16-day-old embryos, it decreased and showed the lowest at hatching time of all breeds.
3. The liver GOT activities were high at the middle stages of embryonic development in each breed, but the stages at which the highest activity occurred varied between breeds or crossbreds. In Hinaidori, the stage showing the highest level was retarded but the level of GOT activities in this breed was higher than in any other breed. In both crossbreds, the level of GOT activities was higher than in their parent breeds.
4. GOT isozymes were detected in the liver by means of starch gel electrophoresis. Namely, there were four bands, consisted of three bands migrated towards the anodal end and a band migrated towards the catholic end. By cellular fractionation, it was recognized that the GOT isozymes in the soluble fraction correspond to the bands migrated towards the anodal end, and that of the mitochondrial fraction correspond to the band migrated towards the cathodic end. High activities of GOT were observed in the soluble fraction.

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The alleviatory effect of glycine on the methionine toxicity was investigated with chicks. Supplementation of 1.5% L-methionine to the methionine-adequate diet significantly depressed body weight gain, feed intake and gain/feed ratio. These adverse effects were alleviated by adding glycine (1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 percent) to the methionine-excess diet. The chicks fed the methionine-excess diet retained less fat, protein and energy than did the control chicks as a result of the decrease in body weight gain and body fat content. Supplementation of glycine to the methionine-excess diet did not affect the body composition, but increased the gains in fat, protein and energy because of improving the body weight gain. Metabolizability of dietary energy (ME/GE) was not affected by the dietary methionine and/or glycine levels, but energy utilization (energy gain/ME intake) was decreased by the feeding of the methionine-excess diet, which was partially alleviated by the supplemental glycine. Nitrogen utilization (retained N/N intake) and nitrogen retention (retained N/feed intake) were also decreased by the feeding of the methionine-excess diet, but they were almost recovered by the glycine supplementation. The beneficial effect of glycine on the methionine toxicity could be attributed to the improvement in the utilization of dietary energy and nitrogen rather than to the increase in the feed intake, since the chicks fed the methionine-excess diet supplemented with glycine gained much more weight than did those fed the methionine-excess diet even when both chicks consumed almost the same amount of feed.

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The present study was conducted to clarify some performances of polygenic traits and their genetic aspects in the red jungle fowl (RJF) using the reciprocal Fis with White Leghorns (WL). Four mating systems, RJF (_??__??_)×RJF (_??__??_), WL (_??__??_)×WL (_??__??_), WL (_??__??_)×RJF (_??__??_), RJF (_??__??_)×WL (_??__??_), were appropriated for the genetic analyses of polygenic traits. All hens were raised in a single cage feeding ration and water ad libitum, and the performances were recorded individually for one year.
The average weight of the baby chick involving both sexes was arranged in the order of WL×WL: 43.7, RJF×WL: 42.8, WL×RJF: 25.9, and RJF×RJF: 23.2g, and corresponding weight at 10 weeks of age being 950.5, 711.8, 666.7, and 389.4g, respectively.
Survival egg production per year in the RJF×RJF, WL×WL, WL×RJF and RJF×WL averaged 28, 255, 184, and 148 eggs, respectively. Laying season of the jungle fowl was limited to the period from February to August. Eighty-seven % of the jungle fowl went broody. In the percentage of broody hens, a significant difference was observed between WL (_??__??_)× RJF (_??__??_): 11.1% and RJF (_??__??_)×WL (_??__??_): 63.0%.
Pullets produced from the WL×WL, RJF×RJF, WL×RJF, and RJF×WL laid the first egg at 158.9, 298.3, 163.4, and 182.2 days of age. The difference between the crosses of WL×RJF and those of RJF×WL was statistically significant.
Average body weight at first egg was arranged in the order of WL×WL: 1763, WL× RJF: 1348, RJF×WL: 1260, and RJF×RJF: 887g. Average weight of the eggs laid in March and August was the highest (57.4g) in the Leghorn, and the lowest (34.8g) in the red jungle fowl.
From the results presented above, it is concluded that three polygenic traits, egg production, age at first egg and broodiness, participate in the sex-linked inheritance.

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Japanese Long-tailed Fowl is the most famous native fowl in Japan. The reproductive traits of the fowl, however, have not been well investigated because of its limited number. In this experiment, the following items of reproductive traits were investigated using wild type Japanese Long-tailed Fowls; fertility, hatchability, survival rate for 6 months aftter hatch, and egg production. Results obtained were as follows:
Fertility, hatchability and survival rate of the fowl were 85.2, 61.1 and 60.2%, respectively. Egg laying began in early spring regardless of the age and ceased between late summer and autumn. Average number of eggs produced by 14 hens was 105 eggs per year.

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Previous paper reported that guinea fowl red blood cells were clasified into two types by normal chicken serum (anti-Gf); Gf possitive (Gf-group) and Gf negative (gf-group).
The present experiments were performed to detect Gf antigen in red blood cells obtained from guinea fowl-chicken hybrids. Gf antigen was recognized in red blood cells from the hybrids. Hybrid red blood cells could be classified into two groups, possitive group and negative group. Frequency of Gf antigen in red blood cells from 50 hybrids was as follows: possitive group, 17 hybrids (34.0%); negative group, 33 hybrids (66.0%). Serological structure of the Gf antigen was divided into Gf_I and Gf_II partial antigens, Gf_I antigen was recognized in the guinea fowl only, whereas Gf_II was recognized in both the guinea fowl and the guinea fowl-chicken hybrids.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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Antarctic krill (E. superba) was investigated for the utilization to poultry feed. We could find 61.3 percent crude protein, 12.2 percent crude fat, 7.2 percent carbohydrate, 15.2 percent crude ash, 20.3 percent Ca (in crude ash) and 4.1 percent moisture in krills.
Average egg shell strength of hens fed by 7 percent of krills showed 0.4 higher than that of hens fed by a control diet, but this difference was not significant.
Although the addition of krills to a basal diet effected an improvement in the egg yolk color, the addition of 5 percent and 7 percent of krills were more than enough for providing an acceptable orange-yellow yolk color. Carotenoid of krills has a strong pigmenting action to egg yolk, if used as a sole source of pigment the color tone of the yolks become too reddish. When antarctic krills were added to a poultry feed, about 3 percent was a suitable amount for a pigmenting source.

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