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similar to a young Robin, but now they appear to be assuming the distinct

markings of a Thrush, and the reddish colour is turning to white.


- W. Nicholson.


The following answer has been sent to Mr. Nicholson :


The only imported Dwarf-Thrush that I know of is a N. American

bird ; however, that does not prevent my being able to tell you how to sex

your birds.


As the young have a spotted breast, I have no doubt that your birds

are true Thrushes, and all true Thrushes (including, of course, the Robins

Nightingales, and allied birds) differ in the males having narrower crowns,

much narrower and longer bills, and somewhat longer tails than the

females. In the Crows, on the other hand, although the males are larger

than the females, their crowns are broader, and their bills are shorter,

broader, and altogether more powerful. A. G. Butter.


AN OSPREY ; ALBINOS, ETC.


Sir, —Some of your readers may be interested to know that, last

October a fine Osprey was seen here (Cobham, Surrey), and was, un¬

fortunately, shot by our keeper, who “ mistook it for a Heron.” It is being

stuffed, to be presented to the Natural History Museum at Epsom. It

measured 21 in. in length and 66 in. from wing-tip to wing-tip.


Those of your readers who are interested in Albinos and rare-feathered

specimens, may be interested to hear that when I was in town, in the end of

October, I saw a lovely stuffed specimen of a pure white Curlew, at Messrs.

Rowland Ward’s ; also that, in paying a visit to the Zoo, I saw a fine Albino

Cormorant in the Western Aviary; and that the keeper at the Parrot House

informed me that he had known a case of an almost pure white Vasa Parrot

(I can’t remember whether he said it was a Lesser or a Greater Vasa); also

that, a few weeks ago, my brother and our keeper saw a curious looking

black bird in our grounds ; they described it as being about the size and

shape of a vSnipe without a tail; they saw it on more than one occasion,

but I have not had the good fortune to see it, and I don’t think it has been

seen for some weeks now. I fancy it must be either a foreigner escaped

from somewhere, or a Melanoid specimen.


In the Crow’s Cages at the Zoo, they have a beautiful White Jackdaw,

and amongst the Collection of British Water-birds in the Fish House, they

have a lovely White Peewit; I did not notice if the latter was a true Albino,

the light being bad when I saw it, but I noticed that its legs were much

more pinkish in colour than those of the ordinary Peewit.


I also saw a fine pair of Y r ellow Budgerigars in the Parrot House. It

would be interesting if the Society were to try the experiment of separating

them and pairing them with Greens, to try to produce the Blue variety,

which, as I have been informed by Mr. R. T. Babb, is sometimes the result

of such a cross. I have heard of Yellows being true Albinos, as far as the

colour of the eyes goes, but, as they were not in a very good light, I did

not see whether it was so in their case. The keeper told me, on a previous

visit, that he has known other cases of yellow freaks amongst Parrots, but,

unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the species in which thej^

occur.


Hoping that the above notes may prove of interest to your readers.


Chas. Cushnv.



