A Search for Some Effects of the "Short-Ear" Gene on Behavior in Mice

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Abstract
12 pairs of mice (one normal-eared and one short-eared) used in the expt. were descended from a common pair of ancestors in the 25th generation of strain Sese-Ab2 maintained by brother-sister inbreeding with forced heterozy-gosis for the Se/se locus. Apparatus consisted of (1) a simple maze with grid floor; (2) a source of oscillating power for earphones and a set of dry cells for a buzzer; and (3) an electrical switch arranged so that one side of the maze could be charged independently of the other and so that the circuit to the buzzer or earphones could be completed when neither side was charged. The following behavioral characteristics were measured (1) shock avoidance in a simple maze, (2) conditioning to a pure tone, (3) hearing intensity threshold, (4) high frequency threshold, and (5) urination during tests. After the mice had been conditioned to move upon hearing the sound, threshold probing was begun. With the exception of hearing intensity threshold, no difference in behavior was found attributable to the "short ear" gene. Some internal ear malformation in the short-eared mice or the larger pinna in the normal-eared mice presumably accounted for the lower threshold in the latter.

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