1863. ] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 41 3 



NOTES ON SOME ALBINO BIRDS PRESENTED TO THE U S NA 

 TIONAL MUSEUM, WITH SOME REMARKS ON ALBINISM.' 



BY LIEUT. WIRT ROBINSON, FOURTH ARTILLERY, V. S. ARMY. 



The following notes refer chiefly to specimens obtained by the writer 

 in \ lrginia, and presented to the National Museum in February, 1SS9 : 



Sora (Porzana Carolina). 



(a) Killed September 20, 1870, in Curl's Keck Marsh, James Eiver 

 Virginia. Nearly perfect albino. Feet and bill pale yellow; irides 

 pink (glass eyes wrong color) ; a few brownish and buff-c o'lored feathers 

 on flanks, around neck and eyes; sex not determined. 



(6) Killed October 2, 1880, in Curl's Neck Marsh, James Eiver, Vir- 

 ginia. All features normal except patch of white feathers covering 

 occiput ; sex, male. 



(c, d) September 23. 1882, bought two skins from a wagon in Eick- 

 mond, Va., containing between 900 and 1,000 dozen sora, nearly all 

 " paddled" in Curl's Neck Marsh, on James Eiver. The remarks about 

 the meadow-lark below are applicable to these. A good idea of their 

 coloration would be obtained by supposing that an accurate water-color 

 drawing of a sora were washed out until the darkest colors were some- 

 where about a buffy, a yellow ocher, and a pale fawn color; bill and 

 feet pale yellow; color of irides and sex not determined. 



Among the thousands of sora exposed for sale in the streets and 

 markets of Eichmond every fall this phase of albinism is by no means 

 rare. A number of specimens could be obtained each season. 

 Meadow-lark (Sturnella magna). 



Killed December 19, 1875, in Buckingham County, Va, An approach 

 to albinism, all the mar kings and mottlings present, but colors have a 

 washed-out appearance, and are of about one half the intensity of those 

 of the normally colored individual. The irides were normal (?) and bill 

 and feet slightly paler. Was with a large scattering flock. Sex not 

 determined. 



Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaiw phceniceus). 



Killed September 18, 1872, iu Curl's Neck Marsh, James Eiver, Vir- 

 ginia. A poor skin, because of decomposition setting in before it was 

 possible to remove it. Perfect albino ; feet and bill pale yellow ; irides 

 pink ; tail feathers badly worn and apparently lifeless, resembling those 

 of the emu wren as given in the wood-cuts of that bird; faint tinge of 

 yellowish pink on shoulders ; sex, male. 

 Cow Blackbird (Molothrus ater). 



November 5, 1881, I saw in Henrico County, Va., in the midst of a 

 large flock, a white cow blackbird, but could not get a shot at it. 



