Permanence and Evolution. 81 



let me protest against the common use of the 

 terms albinism and melanism. Albinism, in the 

 only correct use of the word, means a diseased 

 state of the system in which there is a total or 

 partial deficiency of pigment, producing pallor 

 or a sickly white, and in the eyes a red colour 

 (that of the blood). This morbid state is often 

 hereditary, specially among animals kept in 

 close confinement, as mice, rabbits, canary birds, 

 ferrets ; but white animals of normal health and 

 with eyes of the normal colour are not albinoes, 

 nor have they any relation to albinoes (the 

 shade of white is also very distinguishable), 

 though they are often improperly so called, 

 especially when rare. There are often white 

 individuals and strains of some animal form not 

 otherwise distinguishable from the ordinary sort, 

 also black strains, but there is not the slightest 

 evidence of the existence of any disorder 

 called melanism and parallel with albinism. 

 In no instance of all those which have been 



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