76 From Magazines, &c. \^^^ "^q^^^ 



Western N.S. Wales in 1859-60. — In the Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society of Queensland (vol. xviii.), recently to hand, is a 

 paper read before the society on 17th October, 1903, recording 

 a trip which the author made from Sydney to what was then 

 the " Never Never " of New South Wales — somewhere about 

 Dubbo and Fort Bourke, as it was then known. Until the left 

 bank of the Barwon River was reached, 20 days after the party 

 had left Sydney, no bird-life save Budgerygars and Galas had 

 been noted ; but here reed-beds occurred — " which gave shelter 

 to innumerable wild-fowl. . . . On the clear water hundreds 

 of Ducks and other aquatic birds floated lazily. . . . Numbers 

 of White Cockatoos screamed discordantly at us from the branches 

 above our heads, and some of the Budgerygars and Galas, which 

 were so numerous along our track through the dry country, 

 were there to give us a welcome. Of Crows and Hawks we 

 saw but few, but pretty Crested Pigeons were not uncommon. 

 . . the little ' Shepherd's Companions,' called Jerica-jerica 

 by the blacks, were with us always." 



[I was in the neighbourhood of Orange, a village (then) through 

 which Mr. Norton passed, until 1863, and regret exceedingly 

 that in the fertile tract surrounding that now prosperous town 

 he had not time to observe the many birds. We schoolboys 

 saw far more than he did. — H. K.] 



Melanism and Albinism in Birds. — Dr. A. G. Butler, in 

 continuing a study in the Avicidtural Magazine (June, 1904, 

 vol. iii., No. 8, p. 242), which was begun in the Proc. Zool. Soc, 

 pp. 282-287, deals with this most interesting problem. He 

 had originally contended that there was strong evidence to 

 show that the first bright colours produced were from blue to 

 black, and from yellow to white, and that white indicated 

 delicacy of constitution if acquired by reversion. In a later 

 number of The Zoologist he contended that " albinism in birds 

 is due to constitutional weakness," and in the article under notice 

 he pursues the theme. Melanochroism in old age he is now 

 convinced is the result of unusual constitutional vigour. The 

 theory, so often held, that melanism is produced amongst birds 

 by unsuitable food in captivity he does not favour, but says : — 

 " If melanism were due to unnatural conditions apart from 

 vigour of constitution, albinism might also be the result of 

 artificial conditions apart from delicacy of constitution." Some 

 of the arguments in support of his contention seem very feasible ; 

 but, after all, one feels that only the beginning of the problem 

 has been attacked. Many instances of melanism and albinism 

 are on record amongst our own birds — specimens of both phases 

 exist amongst collections — and the matter is one on which so 

 much further light is needed that it is to be hoped other observers 

 will devote some time to the study. 



