Febeuabt 12, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



245 



and forth in tte basin by the wind, whereas 

 stream sediment and dissolved matter travel 

 in one direction only. It is well known that 

 in drawing conclusions regarding the rate of 

 denudation account should be taken of the 

 material transported by wind. Attention was 

 called to this factor of the problem by E. E. 

 Free in an article published in Science, March 

 12, 1909, but it is difficult to comprehend how 

 conclusions as to the " rate of lowering of the 

 continental surface through stream corrasion " 

 are affected by aerial transportation. (Erosion 

 rather than corrasion is probably here meant, 

 for corrasion does not include transportation.) 

 In the fourth paragraph of his article Mr. 

 Keyes speaks of wind-blown dust and then 

 says: 



In recent geologic times also, the western half 

 of the basin has actually had deposits laid down 

 upon its surface to a thickness of not less than 

 3,000 feet. 



Now if " recent geologic times " means most 

 of the Tertiary and Quaternary periods (of 

 which Recent time is but a small part) ; if 

 the " western half of the basin " means a part 

 of the western half of the basin ; and if " de- 

 posits " means not only wind deposits (loess 

 and sand) but also and predominantly aqueous 

 deposits, the statement would appear to be in 

 accord with the facts. Nevertheless it might 

 still be characterized as trite and irrelevant, 

 for the existence of Tertiary and Quaternary 

 strata in the western part of the basin is well 

 known and the commonly accepted conclusion 

 that the great western tributary, Missouri 

 Kiver, carries 150 to 200 million tons of min- 

 eral matter out of its drainage basin every 

 year is on just as firm a basis as before. 



Eugene Wesley Shaw 



albinism m the english sparrow 

 To THE Editor of Science: The note in 

 Science of January 1, concerning albinism in 

 the English sparrow recalls several observa- 

 tions made by the present writer at various 

 times. Semi-albinism, or spotting, or mottling 

 with white in the plumage of these birds is 

 not at all rare, though of course not partic- 

 ularly conspicuous unless one is especially 



used to the study of birds in the open. I have 

 seen this feature among these sparrows both 

 in this country and in Europe at several times 

 and places. But complete albinism is less 

 common, though not so rare as the note re- 

 ferred to above might imply. A number of 

 years ago in Oxford, Ohio, I found in a 

 brood of sparrows just in flight from the nest 

 three specimens which were perfectly white, 

 and with the characteristic pink eyes of the 

 pure albino. Two of these birds I was able 

 to capture, the other escaped. Two of the 

 same brood were quite normal in plumage. 

 Neither of the parent birds was an albino, 

 and so far as one could know the phenomenon 

 was quite spontaneous in this brood. Another 

 case which came to my knowledge quite re- 

 cently was in Syracuse. In this case a single 

 specimen was observed by school children of 

 one of the grammar schools of the city who at 

 once ran to the teacher with the news, and 

 the teacher having seen it communicated with 

 me as to the significance of a feature quite 

 new to her. While I did not see this specimen 

 myself, the validity of the case is beyond 

 doubt and may be accepted as another ex- 

 ample of the phenomenon. 



In this connection it may be well to call 

 attention to several cases of partial albinism 

 which I have noted in the common robin. 

 Several years ago I found such a female robin 

 brooding a nest near my house and I took 

 pains to watch the outcome. None of the 

 young gave any indication of white plumage. 

 Another case has come under observation in 

 a park adjoining my present home in Syra- 

 cuse. Here again, the robin was a female, 

 and had a conspicuous patch of white feathers 

 on the back and shoulder. The specimen has 

 been noted now for three successive summers, 

 and though careful attention has been directed 

 to the young no evidence of similar markings 

 has been noted. Albinism being a recessive 

 character tends to disappear under ordinary 

 conditions of mating, hence its comparative 

 rarity in a state of nature. 



Charles W. Hargitt 



Stkacuse University, 

 Syracuse, N. T. 



