MISCELL ANEA. 

 BIRDS. 



Two interesting Albinos. 



Through the courtesy of the authorities of the Indian Museum 

 two very interesting albino specimens of birds have been sent 

 home to me for examination. 



The first of these is a very curious semi albino Red-vented 

 Bulbul {Molpastes haemorrhoiishengalensis). The whole head, fore- 

 neck and nape are white, a few of the anterior feathers edged black 

 and others next to them again pale brown or greyish-brown. The 

 bill is quite black, and the feet, though now discoloured, appear also 

 to have been black in life. 



I should presume this to be a case of partial temporary 

 albinoistn, possibly started by the bird, a captive one, rubbing 

 its head and neck against the bars of its cage in attempting 

 to escape when first confined. The feathers of the forehead 

 are edged with orange pink, this colour extending to some of the 

 lateral crest feathers and the tiny orbital plumes and this is really 

 the most remarkable feature about the bird, for this is red 

 naturally in this Bulbul in these parts. I have examined the 

 pigment very closely under a powerful glass but have no reason to 

 imagine it to be artificial. 



The specimen No. 25456 was presented to the Indian Museum 

 by Baboo Madhusudan Mullick. 



The second bird is a specimen of the common Indian Myna, Acri- 

 dotheres tristis, presented to the Museum by A. C. Tunstall, Esqr., 

 from Tocklai, Assam. This is an example of constitutional alhinoism 

 as compared with accidental albinuism in the Bulbul. The whole 

 bird is white with the exception of the lores and feathers round the 

 eye which are black as in a normal bird. Below the whole 

 plumage is suffused with rufous buff and the chin, earcoverts and 

 throat are dark and almost normal in tint ; above the feathers 

 of the head are tipped dull fulvous brown and those of the back, 

 rump and upper tail coverts with the same but paler. The 

 wing-quills are white-shafted but the rectrices have them dark. 

 The bill and feet are yellow but appear in life to have been paler 

 and more lemon yellow than in a normal bird. It is not ea y to 

 say whether this specimen is losing or acquiring pigment ; I incline 

 to the former opinion as the wings which are newly moulted are 

 all pure white. 



E. C. Stuart Baker, F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



Upper Norwood, 

 i5-viii-i8. 



