14 EAREY SPRING: 
the trees have put out their leaves, the 
second and third nests are built in them 
(see Part I, pp. 101-2). This would seem 
to imply that the so-called house sparrows 
really prefer to build in trees, but there 
being no leaves on them in early spring 
to act as roofs, they resort to shelgcmed 
positions. (There is a true tree sparrow, 
which has been noticed im Part 1 of tae 
work, p.129.) One of my sparrows has all the 
feathers of his back and wings quite white, 
rendering him very conspicuous ; his compan- 
ions do not seem to mind his unusual appear- 
ance. This occurrence of albinism, as aeae 
called, is quite common now-a-days amongst 
town and perhaps country sparrows. Why ? 
It is somewhat difficult to obtain even a 
snapshot of a sparrow, although he is such 
a common bird. Plate VI shows one that: I 
got of a cock perched on the rim of a water- 
tub in my garden, whither he had come for a 
drink. (The exposure was ,); second in full 
sunshine, with a fast plate, the lens working 
at F’/16.) I had placed the camera six feet 
