426 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The Colour of the Iris in Albino Birds.— I was surprised to read 

 (p. 358) that Mr. J. Jenner Weir had never seen an albino bird with pink 

 eyes, considering the number of Crystal Palace Cage-bird Shows that he has 

 judged, and then to miss seeing the few pink-eyed albinos that have been 

 shown. No true albinos were exhibited at the last show, but at the previous 

 show an albino House Sparrow and albino Blackbird, both showing the pink 

 eye, were exhibited. In the show of 1888 white House Sparrows with 

 pink eyes and others with dark eyes were shown. A few years earlier an 

 excellent albino Greenfinch, distinctly showing the pink eye, was amongst 

 the winners. In the pair of albino Budgerigars, or Grass Parrakeets, the 

 pink eye was very distinct; they were exhibited at many shows in 1889, 

 but not at a Crystal Palace Show. — J. H. Verrall (Lewes). 



I cannot understand Mr. Jenner Weir saying (p. 358) that he has never 

 seen albino birds with pinkeyes. He was actually judge at the Crystal 

 Palace Shows at which I purchased three of my albinos — two Blackbirds 

 and one Hedgesparrow — and all these have eyes of a most distinct pink 

 shade; they are all alive now and can be seen. As to there being no true 

 albinos at the last show, I bought one Blackbird and my Hedgesparrow at 

 that show, and they are both pure white, with irides of a pink colour. — 

 William Ingram. 



Mr. Jenner Weir may have had " greater opportunities of seeing albino 

 birds " than most people, but ornithologists who have paid any attention to 

 this subject may be pardoned if they express surprise at the statement in 

 his letter that he has " never seen a single instance of an albino bird having 

 pink eyes." My impression is, that these albino birds almost always have 

 irides of some shade between very pale dull pink and bright pink ; but those 

 ornithologists who have made an especial study of white birds will doubtless 

 be able to enumerate far more examples of pink-eyed birds than I can. It 

 is of course well known that numbers of white birds are found in a wild 

 state which are not true albinos, and are known as " white varieties." — 

 0. V. Aplin (Bloxham, Oxon). 



[Mr. Weir sent a copy of his 'Zoologist' letter to 'The Field'; the 

 above replies were addressed to the Editor of that journal. — Ed.] 



The editorial remarks under this heading (p. 358) upon the com- 

 munication of Mr. Jenner Weir coincide with my own experience on 

 this subject. Indeed I had almost come to the conclusion that pink eyes 

 denoted a true albino ; for whether in quadruped or bird they are usually 

 associated with abnormally pale parts of the body which are bare of " fur 

 or feathers." A white Weasel — whose occurrence I mentioned in ' The 

 Zoologist' for 1889 (p. 449) — had pink eyes, whilst its feet aud muzzle 

 were comparatively white. With regard to birds, I have seen both Black- 

 birds and Thrushes with eyes of the same hue (Zool. 1875, p. 4692). As 

 recently as Juue last, a gamekeeper showed me an albino Blackbird, about 



