446 ox CHANGE OP HABITAT IN THE COMMON CRICKET. 



was the well-established yellow variety, the rarer blue variety, 

 and a so-called olive variety, and recently a nearly pure white 

 bird (which Avas shown) had been bred by Mr. H. D. Astley. 



These varieties were produced by the elimination er partial 

 elimination of the two primary pigments, yellow and black, which 

 were present in the normally-coloured green bird. The yellow 

 variety showed entire lack of black pigment, the blue variety was 

 entirely lacking in yellow pigment, the blue colour being pro- 

 duced by a combination of black pigment and prismatic feather 

 structure. 



The olive variety Mr. Seth-Smith was unable to show, but it 

 appeared to be a case in which both yellow and black pigments 

 were weak, while the unique white specimen was an instance of 

 the elimination of both the black and yellow pigments. 



Major E. E. Austex, D.S.O., F.Z.S., drew attention to an 

 apparent change of habitat on the part of the Common Cricket 

 {Gryllus domssticus), and described a recent visit he had paid to 

 a large refuse dump where he had observed the Crickets in con- 

 siderable numbers. 



