SEASONAL AND TEMPERATURE FACTORS AND THEIR DETERMINATION IN PIGEONS OF PERCENTAGE METABOLISM CHANGE PER DEGREE OF TEMPERATURE CHANGE

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Abstract
On healthy adult tippler pigeons in active reproduction 429 measurements were made under basal conditions at all seasons at 15, 20 and 30[degree] C. From Nov. to early May the animals were provided with heat while glass walls excluded ultra violet light; they were exposed to air of greatest cooling power in autumn. The data obtained and other considerations suggest that the 20[degree] measurements present a truer picture of seasonal differences in metabolism than do either the 15[degree] or the 30[degree] ("critical") measurements. The full extent of the seasonal difference, when measured at 20[degree], is 15% in [male][male] and 8% in [female][female][long dash]with lowest metabolism values in spring and highest in autumn. The higher metabolism in summer than in spring is apparently due to radiation, particularly ultra violet, rather than to temp., gonad or thyroid differences at these two seasons. The percentage metabolism change per degree of temp. change is a function of season, and of the particular range of the thermo-metric scale which is used in measurement. The [female][female] measured gave values somewhat higher than true basals due to marked temporary changes associated with the ovulation. The sex differences as tabulated do not represent the true value of the sex factor.

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