474 General Notes. [July, 
manner in consequence of the muscular action occasioned by his 
sudden fright. But I once saw a common garter or striped snake 
spring suddenly after a frog in an attempt to seize him. These 
snakes are reasonably active when they proceed in the ordinary 
style; but when they are attempting to seize their prey their mo- 
tions are so quick that the eye must be very intent to follow them. 
In this case the frog was just a hair’s breadth of time too quick for 
the snake, making a high and vigorous leap forwar s he 
sprang the usual evacuation of water fell from him, sisi the 
snake fairly on the head, and most probably filling its open mouth. 
One or two more leaps in instantaneous succession carried the 
frog out of danger, and he was not madea meal of. But the 
snake was evidently blinded by the urinary discharge, for he 
wriggled and twisted, sprang wildly around from side to side, and 
was completely thrown off the track of his game. My sympathies 
were with the frog, and I thought in regard to that obfuscated 
snake, “served him right.’ The in cident was, of course, an 
amusing one, and thinking of it afterwards, it occurred to me 
that this habit of the frog might very properly be classed as a 
defensive one. The snake is its usual, most frequent and most . 
relentless enemy. Having glided noiselessly through the grass 
“to its eyes, and of course 
cannot quickly correct ine blinding effect which even pure water 
suddenly dashed upon its head would necessarily produce. The 
light must be ot baci, and images failing upon the 
retina very badly mixed up and distorted. In the “noise and 
confusion ” thus arising, the frog makes good his escape. While 
the secretion and discharge of the urine isan ordinary physiolog- 
ical process, its use in this manner may be none the less a means 
of defense The force of the ejection, doubled by the action of 
the snake in nimbly darting from the opposite direction, the 
amount ejected and the circumstances attending the act, all seem 
to justify the inference that this, aside from concealment in the 
green herbage, is about the sole means of defense provided 
i developed ”—by nature to aid the harmless and inoffensive 
frog in evading the clutch of its alert and nimble enemy.— Chas. 
Aldrich, Webster City, Lowa. 
REMARKS UPON ALBINISM IN SEVERAL OF OUR Birps.—During 
the autumn of 1876, I saw a pet crow (Corvus americanus) bear- 
ing rather strange markings of a grayish color over the rump, 
sides and abdomen, as well as about one-half of the tail feathers. 
Upon the approach of winter the bird accidentally had the tail 
pulled out; when about two months later, it was replaced by 
feathers of a pale gray tint. During the coming moulting season, 
the parts which had previously been of a grayish color, now be- 
came white, and in addition several quills in both wings. I 
Pe EE Pe ee er ee 
