THE ZooLocist—FEBRUARY, 1876. 4787 
it was a female, killed at Yarmouth on the 18th of October: it 
weighed two ounces two drachms. 
Albino Blackbird.—A fine female bird was obtained: in this 
neighbourhood on the 23rd of October last, and passed into my 
hands. The entire outside surface of its plumage was pure white, 
but in skinning it I found the basal half of some of its feathers, 
particularly a patch or two on its breast, of a dusky black ; it had 
a perfect yellow beak; legs, toes and claws of a pinkish flesh- 
colour. The eyes of albinos, either mammals or birds, are in- 
variably weak, being of a paler colour, generally pinkish, as in the 
case of white rats and mice, and is assumed at birth; but in this 
example the eyes were of the normal colour—i.e. dark brown; 
this and the fact of the darker colour in the basal half of some of 
its feathers, as just mentioned, would seem to indicate that its 
plumage was at first either in its normal state or partly so, and that 
its feathers had afterwards undergone their change of colour: this 
is probably, in some way, connected with the diseased state of the 
bird’s liver, which on dissection 1 found to be quite black. The 
bird itself seemed rather fat and in plump condition. 
Ash-coloured Swallow.—In the ‘ Zoologist’ for October, 1875 
(S. S. 4665) I recorded the occurrence of an albino of this species 
on the 11th of September. A few days after—viz. on the 24th of 
the same month—an ash-coloured variety was brought me, having 
just been procured at Gorleston, near Yarmouth: it was an im- 
mature bird, and on dissection proved to be a female. The whole 
of the upper parts of its plumage are ofa pale brownish ash-colour ; 
throat pale dull reddish; the under parts of a cream-colour, inclining 
to pale ash under the wings and tail-feathers. Each tail-feather, 
excepting the two centre ones, shows the delicate spot of white; 
irides pale brown; beak and legs pale flesh-colour. 
Purple Heron.—This is a very rare species in Norfolk: two 
examples only have passed under my notice previous to this season. 
On the 25th of September last an immature specimen, and very 
probably a bird of the year, was shot at Hingham, by Mr. Muskett, 
of that town, and presented by him to the Earl of Kimberley, who 
brought it to me himself the following day to be preserved for his 
lordship’s collection. His lordship informed me that when first 
flushed by Mr. Muskett (who was snipe-shooting at the time) it 
rose from a drain, and having the appearance of a rather strange 
looking bird to him, he marked the place where it alighted, which 
