Albiyio Towhee. — A Glance at Books. 7/ 



ALBINO TOWHEE. 



While collecting at Laguna Beach, Los Angeles Co., on Aug. 

 25th. 1887, I was fortunate enough to take an Albinistic Pipilo 

 fuscus crissalus. When shot it seemed to be in a stupid mood, 

 with its feathers ruffled up. Following is a description of it: 



Breast white, gradually shading into ashy gray on sides and 

 neck, and chestnut on flanks and crissum. 



Throat patch brownish yellow, streaked 2.\\A bo? dered zvith white. 



Back and tail coverts pale brown. 



Feathers of crown and nape zulnte, each edged and tipped with 

 brown. 



Tail brown, crossed near end by a dirty white bar, an inch 

 wide. 



Quills and webs of primaries white, the latter edged and tipped 

 with brown. 



Feet and bill flesh-colored. 



Iris light yellow. 



Lgth., 8.25; Wg., 3.25; TL, 3.87 Female. 



Considerably smaller than the average adult. 



Riverside, Calif. Theo. D. Hiird. 



A GLANCE AT BOOKS. 



LoMB Prize Essays. — Under this title are comprised four es- 

 says, for which an aggregate sum of $1 too in prizes was awarded to 

 the writers by Henry Lomb, of Rochester, N. Y., through the Amer- 

 ican Public Health Association. The subjects treated are, 

 Building a Home, Healthy Food, School Hygiene, Disinfection, 

 and the Preventable Causes of Disease, Injury and Death. These 

 are valuable papers and worthy of perusal by all and can be pro- 

 cured for 15 cts. each from Dr. Irving A. Watson, secretary Amer-, 

 ican Public Health Association, Concord, N. H. 



Hand Book of Plant Dissection. — By the editors of the 

 Botanical Gazette, Henry Holt & Co., New York, publishers. 

 This is the first work of the kind directed solely to the study of 

 the various plant tissues. The subject in all its branches is 

 treated with great precision and simplicity, and yet comprehen- 

 siveness. The arrangement is excellent, and the book will be 

 found adapted to the use of schools and colleges, or of students 

 working by themselves — an excellent text-book and a valuable 

 addition to botanical literature. 



World English. — The Universal Language. — Every one 

 has heard of the butcher, who after a long search for his knife, at 

 last found it in his mouth: so speakers of English have been 

 seeking for a universal language, when, lo! it is in their mouths. 

 The intelligibihty of English words has been obscured by a dense 

 mist of letters. This is now dispersed by A. Melville Bell, who 

 has already won a world-wide reputation through his invention 



