An Albinistic Robin 29 



AN ALBINISTIC ROBIN 



ALVIN R. CAHN 



While albinism, or a tendency toward albinism in 

 birds is common enongli to have supplied most museums 

 with stutled or mounted specimens showing varying de- 

 grees of whiteness in many species, it is rare enough to 

 have escaped the efforts of most of the hunters who have 

 substituted the camera for the gun. It is for this reason, 

 and not because albinism is a rarit}-, that the two accom- 

 panying photgraphs of a strikingly albinistic robin are 

 offered. 



This robin appeared on the campus of the University 

 of Wisconsin on March 5, 1917, and remained there dur- 

 ing the entire summer, in spite of the fact that it was 

 among the very earliest of the robins to return in the 

 spring. An examination of the photographs will show that 

 the bird is fully 86% white. Those pigmented feathers 

 which were present were for the most part normal in color, 

 though the few brown feathers on the breast were some- 

 what pale in color, and the bill and legs were nearly white. 

 The bird was a female and was seen to mate with a normal 

 male. Two uusucecssful attempts were made to nest. The 

 first nest contained five eggs, the second four. Both were 

 deserted for some unknown reason before the incubation 

 period had expired. A subsequent examination of the 

 eggs showed three of the second batch fertile, and two of 

 the first. 



Texas A. and M. College, 



College Station, Texas. 



