The flicker contour for the house sparrow Passer domesticus is duplex, corresponding to the presence of both rods and cones in the retina. The presence of the pecten brings about changes in the "cone" part of the contour when the light-time in the flash cycle is varied. These changes are of the same sort as those we have already described for the visually simplex zebra finch, and for man provided with an artificial "pecten shadow." The changes are such as to greatly enhance flicker acuity for small dark-times (moving stripe technique). The form of the scotopic part of the duplex contour (also as in the case with man) gives no evidence that rod excitation is specifically influenced by the presence of the pecten. The changing integration of "rod" and "cone" effects as the light-time fraction is altered provides another means of testing the theory used for the analytical separation of the two components of the duplex flicker contour.
Article|
March 20 1944
FLICKER RESPONSE CONTOURS FOR THE SPARROW, AND THE THEORY OF THE AVIAN PECTEN
W. J. Crozier,
W. J. Crozier
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge
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Ernst Wolf
Ernst Wolf
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge
Search for other works by this author on:
W. J. Crozier
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge
Ernst Wolf
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge
Received:
September 14 1943
Online Issn: 1540-7748
Print Issn: 0022-1295
Copyright, 1944, by The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research
1944
J Gen Physiol (1944) 27 (4): 315–324.
Article history
Received:
September 14 1943
Citation
W. J. Crozier, Ernst Wolf; FLICKER RESPONSE CONTOURS FOR THE SPARROW, AND THE THEORY OF THE AVIAN PECTEN . J Gen Physiol 20 March 1944; 27 (4): 315–324. doi: https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.27.4.315
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