Birds of anomalous Plumage, 597 



out females, and the latter were both male bh'ds. On the 

 grounds of Drumsheugh, the property of our friend Sir Patrick 

 Walker, there was, some years ago, a beautifully mottled 

 blackbird, which became so tame that it fed along with the 

 domestic fowls. ... It is now in the museum of Sir Patrick. 

 Another motded blackbird was, some years ago, kept in a 

 cage by Mr. Veitch, optician, Inchbonny." Prol'essor Rennie 

 in his Mont, Orn, Diet, mentions the fact of the occurrence of 

 white blackbirds.] 



The Barhadoes Blackbird is here no'w and then seen Mottled.^ 

 and, rarely, quite White ; while 



The tropic Bird, Phaeton, varies in the markings of its 

 plumage to a greater extent. — Lansdown Guilding, St, Vin- 

 cent. May 1. 1830. 



A Black Thrush. — A person residing in Liverpool is in pos- 

 session of a living thrush, now nearly two years old, which has 

 changed the colour of its feathers three times. This singular 

 bird, which is of the ordinary size and form of thrushes ge- 

 nerally, was taken along with four others from the same nest 

 early in the spring, and before it was quite fledged. It was 

 then of the usual colour of young thrushes ; but at the end 

 of three months its feathers became black, and remained so 

 for about nine months, when it again resumed its original 

 colour, namely, that of a common thrush. It has always been 

 a very healthy bird, and is a famous musician. This singu- 

 larity was not exhibited by any of the other birds of the same 

 nest, nor have I ever before seen or heard of an instance of 

 the , kind. — Thomas Weatherill, M.D. Liverpool, Dec, 7. 

 1833. 



{Tor a Notice of Birds, Natural Hybrids, produced between 

 the Throstle and the Blackbird, see in p. 598. 



A White Lark, — Notice of one, shot, is given in II. 267. 

 A White, or nearly White, Titlark, stuffed, is among the spe- 

 cimens of British birds in the British Museum. It is labelled 

 *« Titlark, variety ^lauda pratensis L., London Market." 



The Common Sparroiv, White, — An instance of a female is 

 given in I. 494'. ; of another female, in V. 583, note * : this 

 last is an interesting case. Montagu has remarked of the 

 sparrow, "accidental varieties occur, such as white, black, 

 and yellowish." Captain Brown has seen " white birds of many 

 British species," and a white sparrow is one of these. 



A Greenfnch, extraordiriary in the Colours of its Plumage, is 

 described in IL 64. 



The Goldfinch's Colours are known to vary with its food. 

 (II. 64., V. 398.) 

 A White Swallow. — Morier mentions having seen a white 



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