122 The Ottawa Naturalist [Dec. 



SOME RARE CASES OF ALBINISM IN ANIMALS. 



By Professor Edward E. Prince, LL.D., D.Sc, F.R.S.C. 

 Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa. 



In a paper which I contributed to The Ottawa Naturalist, 

 Nov., 1906, I summarized my views upon the large subject of 

 Animal Coloration, and I dealt with the evolution of the colors 

 of living creatures, attempting to classify exhaustively a large 

 variety of examples known to me. In referring to "Physio- 

 logical Coloration ' ' I made mention of a closely allied phenome- 

 non, which I regarded as "Pathological," and due to abnormal 

 or diseased conditions, grouping thereunder albinos, such as 

 white crows, hawks, peacocks, moles, etc. I mentioned, as a 

 likely cause, a diseased or defective peripheral nerve supply; 

 a white hedgehog (Erinaceus) being found to have an abnormal 

 condition of the peripheral nerve twigs ending in the skin, and 

 resulting in a lack of the usual color or pigment in the integu- 

 ment, or rather in the spines and hairs developed from the 

 skin. I stated that, according to Darwin, white cats have blue 

 eyes, are, as a rule, deaf, and, if Dr. Lawson's statement be 

 correct, are alwavs tom-cats. The eyes of most animals are 

 dark or colored, owing to pigment massed in the retina, and in 

 the iris; but in albinos, color being absent, the retina is without 

 it and the rich blood-supply renders the eyes red or pink, 

 as well as the nose and tips of the ears, as in albino rabbits 

 and white rats and mice. 



All white animals are not albinos, because the absence of 

 color in the fur or plumage may be due to seasonal and other 

 normal causes Thus the grey harbour seal is snow 7 white when 

 verv young, but its nose and eyes are jet black. The Polar 

 bear, Arctic fox, the stoat or ermine, the varying hare, the 

 ptarmigan, and other animals, are permanently or seasonally 

 white, and thus resemble their wintry surroun dings. Dr. Stan- 

 Jordan observes that the white color of Arctic animals may be 

 useful not alone in rendering them inconspicuous, but may 

 also serve a direct physiological function in preventing loss of 

 heat from the bodv by radiation. He adds, "the dark colors 

 of animals mav be of value in absorbing heat rays and thus 

 helping to keep them warm. But by far the most widespread 

 use of color is to assist an animal in escaping from its enemies 

 or in capturing its prey. ' Now, while cold and dryness tend to 

 produce whiteness, damp and warm conditions result in darken- 

 ing the fur or plumage and the external color of animals generally. 



