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Corre'spon dence.



decade. In some cases this albinism is only partial, and is represented by

pied, cinnamon, or partly cinnamon sports.


On the 3rd and 4th of the present month I saw a very remarkable

instance of this partial albinism in my garden, in which an entire family of

Blackbirds, of four (if not five) individuals, had the head and neck of a

brownish clay-colour; all the birds had acquired their adult plumage and

the abrupt transition from clay-brown to jet black in the male birds gave

them a most extraordinary appearance : in the females it was of course not

quite so striking. A. G. BuTEER,



BREEDING OF PILEATED PARRAKEETS.


Sir, —With reference to your note in the Magazine as to Mr. Astley’s

bird being first hatched—I am unable to say the date mine were hatched, as

I did not discover them until they were several weeks old, of which I wrote

you on July 2nd.


I again wrote yon July 18th the young had fled; they had, however,

at this date left the nest several days previously. O11 July 16th Mr. Astley’s

birds were still in the nest, so that mine undoubtedly were the first young

birds reared.


You did not reply to either of my letters, so I did not send an account

of the breeding; I am however quite clear as to the procedure, having had

several previous medals.


When you decide which birds are first, I shall be pleased to send a

full account. Wm. .R. Fasey.



ALBINISTIC VARIATIONS IN THE MELBA WAXBILL (Pytelia

inelba) AND ZEBRA FINCH (Taeniopygia castanolis).


Major B. R. Horsbrugh has sent me an interesting skin of the Melba

Waxbill, obtained in Pretoria, which has secondaries in both wings pale

yellow, as are also the bases of the primaries, 'while a broken yellowish-

white collar encircles the nape. “ I was reminded of it,” he writes, “ by

seeing a young robin with one white wing hopping about on my lawn.”

Some time ago, Mr. C. W. Ginn showed me a stuffed cock Zebra Finch,

which was all white, except for the orange and bay colouring on the cheeks

and flanks, and for the fact that the black markings 011 the breast and tail-

coverts were represented by pale drab. The beak seems to be red as usual.

The bird was bred from a normally-coloured pair. Frank Finn.



