Correspondence.



285



BOUQUET’S A. See BLUE-PACED A.


“ BKONZE AMAZON,” an occasional dealer’s name for the BRONZE¬

WINGED PARROT and the DUSKY PARROT (. Pionus ). ‘‘VIOLET

AMAZON,” a variant.


“ Common Amazon,” the BLUE-FRONTED A.


COMMON AMAZON Parrot (Latham), the BLUE-FRONTED A; also

his VARS. B, D, and H. VARS. A. C. E. and F.=the ORANGE¬

WINGED A.


COMMON Amazons PARROT, VAR, G. (Latham) ? = the DOUBLE-

FRONTED A.


(To be continued.)



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, &c.


WHITE COMMON HOUSE-SPARROW.


SIR,—I think the following facts will prove of interest to some of your

readers.


For several years past I had in my aviaries a White Common House-

Sparrow. It was a hen, a pure Albino with pink eyes. One day in February last

year an old cock Sparrow was foolish enough to walk inside the passage of one of

my aviaries. I chanced to be behind him and shut the door. I then opened the

door of the aviary in which the white lady was and drove him in. They had an

indoor aviary 14ft. by 6ft. I provided them with a nest box, a small quantity of

hay, and a few feathers. Their first nest of young consisted of two, and left the

nest on May 10th, 1913. Another lot of four left the nest on June 12th. A third

jot of four left the nest on July 15th, and a fourth lot left the nest on August 13th.

There were thus fourteen young reared, all being ordinary Sparrows without a

white feather. Six of these young ones became the meat of a tame stoat, and

the others I turned loose. I have a high wall all round my flower garden, and

one or two nest-boxes against the wall. One of these about a month ago was

occupied by a pair of ordinary Sparrows. On Sunday the young left the nest,—

three pure Albinos with pink eyes and two Common Sparrows. One of the

Albinos was too strong on the wing to be caught, but my man caught the other

two with a net, and they are now doing well. The old birds are nesting again in

the same spot, so I hope to get several more Albinos.


I think this is interesting as showing that in the first jflace the Albino here

mated to the ordinary cock produced fourteen young ones, all Common Sparrows ;

but one of her sons or daughters this year at the first attempt produces three

pure Albinos out of five young ones.


Of course it is possible that both parents are the offspring of the old hen ;

but with the hundreds of Sparrows we have on the place I should doubt it.


I am now introducing another Common Cock Sparrow to the old hen (I

let the other one go in the autumn), and I shall keep all the young ones to breed

from next year and note what happens. W. R. TEMPLE.



