68 RIDGWAY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



Now, as far as an absence of pigment in polar regions is con- 

 cerned I agree with him, but if, as seems probable, he regards arc- 

 tic animals such as the Polar Bear {Thalassarctos maritimus) and 

 Northern Hare {Lefius americanus) as albinos, I disagree most de- 

 cidedly. In the case of the hare the fur is white only part of the 

 year, as is well known, and, although the bear is always in white 

 dress, still it has not red eyes or any of the other supposed albin- 

 istic characteristics, and is, in my opinion, merely a wise provision of 

 of nature for their protection. 



We have several white birds, notably the Snowy Heron (Ardea 

 candidissima), but I have never heard them called albinos nor do I 

 believe that they are. 



If white is the normal dress, and we admit that albinism is a 

 congenital abnormality, it is beyond my comprehension how anyone 

 can claim that such animals are albinos. In other words, how can 

 anything be both normal and abnormal? 



I will here mention the different forms of albinism as given by 

 Baron Richard von Konig-Warthausen.* " On closer observation 

 we have to distinguish: (1), Real albinos with red eyes, Leucopa- 

 thici : (2), Birds with pure white or almost unchanged eyes, Al- 

 bidi: (3), Such birds in which only isolated spots indicate the 

 former connections, Maczilati : (!i), Bright, gray, yellowish varia- 

 tions, which in comparison with the marked distribution of colors in 

 the normal conditions sometimes show them complete, but faded, 

 as if they had suffered from outer influences (Weather-beaten; de- 

 composition of colors; lime-wash; etc.) Pallescentes. 



" Individuals of the first-class are the rarest. The second has 

 various transitions downwards, and the fourth contains many very 

 interestingly marked and characteristic specimens." 



One more point I wish to bring up, i. e., the susceptibility of 

 the various colors to albinism. I have found during my investiga- 

 tions that some colors are much more likely to give way to albinism 

 than others. Black seems to be the most susceptible, as is well illus- 

 trated by the large number of perfect albinos found among the Cor- 

 vidce and Icteridce. On the other hand, red and yellow seem to be 

 the colors least susceptible and capable of holding out longest against 

 albinistic influence. I will cite a few cases as proof of this asser- 

 tion. There is in the collection of Mr. R. Deane, of Chicago, a 

 perfect albino Flicker [Colaptes auratus), barring the red nuchal 

 crescent and the yellow on the under surfaces of the wing and tail 



♦Journal fur Ornithologfie, Cab. II, 1854, pp. 249-253. 



