of an unusual Colour. Ill 



bird by the erroneous name wren (Anorthura), lias denomi- 

 nated it " gold-crested regulus : " but why not translate the 

 term into plain English, and call the bird golden-crested 

 kinglet? — a name, by the by, which it has received in nine 

 languages.] — Mr. Stephens says, in his continuation of Shaw's 

 Zoology, x. 797., " There is a beautiful white variety of this 

 species (the goldcrest) in the British Museum, which was 

 captured in Devonshire." 



[Instances of the House Sparrow (Fdsser domesticus) in Ano- 

 malous Plumage are referred to in VII. 597; and] Willughby, 

 in his Ornithology says, p. 249., " This kind of bird doth 

 sometimes vary in colour, Aldrovandus setting forth a white 

 and yellow sparrow." [See, in VIII. 43., a notice of another 

 variation which has occurred in the sparrow.] In the museum 

 of a specimen-collector near this is (among other rare birds) 



A very light-coloured Tree Sparrow (Passer arbor eus Blyth), 

 which was shot in the neighbourhood : the black on the 

 throat is as dark as usual. Mudie, in his Feathered Tribes, 

 speaking of 



The Window Swallow (Hirundo urbica), says, " Light- 

 coloured ones, and even albinoes, occasionally occur, as in 

 the preceding species " (the Chimney Swallow [VII. 597-] ). 



I am not aware whether it is a generally known circum- 

 stance, that 



The Common Fowl (Gdllus communis) changes Colour from 

 time to time. — A male of this species, kept by a neighbouring 

 farmer, which had the usual graceful feathers of burnished 

 gold on the neck, wings, and rump, the tail and breast black, 

 was observed by me to be entirely white after I had not seen 

 him for some time ; and on passing by the farm, not many 

 months after, he had resumed his old golden livery ! [In the 

 known instances of female fowls attaining the plumage of male 

 ones, the plumage must partly change in structure as well as 

 in colour. See, for instances, VII. 103. 106.] Another 

 curious circumstance fell under my observation not long ago : 

 I had 



A Fair of Pea Fowls or Pavos (Pdvo cristdtus), the Female of 

 which, having sat the usual time, hatched five young ones, two of 

 which were White. — Now, although it is very common to have 

 broods of fowls (Gallus) and turkeys (iWeleagris) with as many 

 colours as individuals, yet I had always thought that pintados 

 (Mimida) and pavos (or peevos, as the common people call 

 them) were uniformly of the same colour. In some books it 

 is even doubted whether the white variety seen about gentle- 

 men's houses be of the same stock as the common breed. 



I have been thus particular in collecting instances, because 

 I think that whatever is observed should be carefully noted 



