On the inheritance of eye-colour in man

Abstract

Abstract The following notes on the inheritance of eye-colour in man are based on material examined by the writer in the village of Burbage, Leicestershire. During the past three years, 139 pairs of parents and 683 of their offspring have been examined, with the following results:— Eye colour in man depends almost wholly on the colour of the iris. The color of the iris varies considerably in different families and often in different individuals of the same family. This variability is due partly to the presence or absence of different pigments on the anterior and posterior surfaces of the iris, and partly, in all probability, to actual differences in the structure of the iris.