100 



ORNITHOLOGY. 

 Edited by A. G. Kingston. 



Albinism in the "English Sparrow" [Passer domesticus). — 

 As time goes on and this introduced species comes more thoioughly 

 under the influence of our dry cHmate with its extremes of ("emiierature, 

 the ap];earance ol occasional individuals lacking the usual quantum of 

 colouring matter in parts of the plumage seems to grow more frequent. 

 From colonies planted in Boston and New York about thirty years ago, 

 the sparrow made its first appeirance in this northern latitude about 

 1872. Until recent years a sparrow showing white markings (apart 

 frum the normal pattern of the species) was looked upon as a rarity ; 

 now almost every large flock about the streets and gardens, if closely 

 examined, will be found to contain at least one bird with here or there 

 an odd white feather. 



These marks are generally irregular, but occasionally a definite 

 pattern is noticeable. The writer has in his possession a specimen, 

 taken in May last, in which the secondary wing-quills are wholly white 

 and the tail white with a slight bar of grey at the tip. Mr. Fletcher 

 reports liaving seen one of somewhat similar plumage a few days ago in 

 Ann Street. The following patterns have also been observed : — 



(i) A male with the usual black patch on the throat surrounded 

 with a border of white, which also extended as a white collar 

 around the neck. 



(2) One with white secondaries. 



(3) One with two parallel white stripes between the shoulders. 



(4) One with the whole crown white. 



Any of the readers of the Naturalist who may observe cases of 

 albinism, or of the opposite peculiarity, melanism, an undue darkening 

 of the plumage, in sparrows would confer a favour by sending a short 

 note to either of the leaders of the Ornithological Section. 



Migration Noies. — The migration of birds is to most persons 

 one of those mysterious movements of nature which they are compelled 

 to believe in, but whose processes can hardly be expected to be made 

 evident to the senses. Our feathered visitors disappear in autumn and 

 return to sight in spring, but the number of persons, even among those 



?■ f\ /- 



