VALIDITY OF THE THEORY OF GENETIC CORRELATION

Abstract

A small experiment with mice is described which provides a check on the validity of the theory of genetic correlation. Two-way selection was made for weight at six weeks in one pair of lines, and for tail-length at the same age in another pair. The responses of both characters were observed in both pairs of lines. Estimates of the genetic correlation between weight and tail-length, calculated senarately for the two pairs of lines, were 0.62 and 0.57. This good agreement shows that the theoretical treatment of the genetic relationship between the two characters adequately accounts forolthe correlated responses to selection actually observed.