578 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1059 



the salamander, Spelerpes hilineatus, recently 

 kept for several months at this laboratory. 

 Aethur M. Banta 

 Station for Experimental Evolution, 

 Cold Spring Harbor, N. T. 



albinism et the english sparrow 

 The notes on albinism in the English spar- 

 row {Passer domesticus) appearing in Science 

 of January 1 and February 12 suggest the de- 

 sirability of placing on record certain similar 

 observations made by the present writer. 

 Wliile residing in Chicago, from June, 1904, 

 to May, 1908, I noted English sparrows show- 

 ing partial albinism in the streets on many 

 occasions. The extent of the white markings 

 on these birds varied from a few feathers to 

 perhaps a third or a fourth of the whole bird, 

 no pure white individual being seen. The 

 striking feature of the occurrence of these 

 white marked birds was their abundance in the 

 late summer and early fall of each year. At 

 that season partial albinos were seen at least 

 several times a week, sometimes daily for three 

 or four days. By early spring these abnormal 

 birds had disappeared; at any rate I have no 

 notes regarding their observation at that time 

 of the year. From these facts it would seem 

 as though the numerous white-spotted birds 

 seen in the fall were immatures of the previ- 

 ous summer. Also for some reason, perhaps 

 connected with their conspicuous appearance, 

 but few of them survived until the beginning 

 of the following breeding season. 



The common appearance of partial albinism 

 in the English sparrow in a country where it 

 has been recently introduced through human 

 agency, as compared with the rarity of this 

 phenomenon among most native birds, is sug- 

 gestive of this being in some way an outcome 

 of unusual conditions surrounding the species 

 in its adopted home. In the absence of data 

 regarding the sparrow in its native land, how- 

 ever, this is mere speculation. 



Observations along the same line regarding 

 another species of bird may have some signif- 

 icance. In southern California the Brewer 

 blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) has taken 

 most kindly to the altered conditions brought 



about by settlement of the country, breeding 

 in the shrubbery of parks and gardens, and 

 feeding on the lawns throughout the towns. 

 In Exposition Park, Los Angeles, the broad 

 stretches of lawn have been particularly attrac- 

 tive to these grackles, and, especially in the fall, 

 they gather here in large flocks. Partial albin- 

 ism among these birds, just as with the Eng- 

 lish sparrows seen about Chicago, is of common 

 occurrence in the late summer and fall, on 

 several occasions two or even three white- 

 spotted birds being in sight at the same time. 

 The white areas of the birds observed were al- 

 ways of small size. None of these abnormal 

 individuals has been noted in the spring. The 

 question again suggests itself as to whether 

 these grackles are not affected by something 

 in the altered environment, the changed condi- 

 tions having been obviously most favorable to 

 the species and conducive to great increase in 

 numbers. 



In this connection, however, it is interesting 

 to note that still another bird, the house finch 

 (Oarpodacus mexicanus frontalis), which has 

 so adapted itself to urban conditions as prac- 

 tically to occupy in the towns of the south- 

 west the position held elsewhere by the Eng- 

 lish sparrow, in all its vastly increased num- 

 bers shows no tendency toward albinism, at 

 auy rate no more than any other native bird. 



H. S. SWAETH 



Museum of History, Science and Art, 

 Los Angeles, Calif. 



To THE Editor of Science: On page 26 of 

 the current volume of Science Mr. P. J. 

 O'Gara asks for information regarding albin- 

 ism among English sparrows. I have fre- 

 quently seen nearly white specimens, especially 

 in New York City, but never any that were 

 entirely white. I believe that albinism occurs 

 more frequently in this species than in any 

 other, because the natural enemies that pick 

 off the conspicuous individuals of other spe- 

 cies do not dare to molest the sparrows in their 

 close proximity to man. Thus individuals 

 with albinistic tendencies are enabled to breed 

 and these tendencies are transmitted to their 

 offspring. Maunsell Schieffelin Crosby 



