ilK. J. WHITAKER ON ABNORMAL PLUMAGE. 
lici’G, they are weak, and have not power to discharge the 
colouring matter into their feathers, therefore would not be able to 
take the long flight necessary to bring them. I remember liaving 
read in some natural history magazine, that a white Blackbird 
had been shot, and on being skinned, the black colouring matter 
was found under the skin. The bird was no doubt in poor health, 
or would have been in ordinary plumage. This is not always the 
case, as I have tAvo white Jays, Avhich appear to have been in tlie 
most robust health, their plumage being particularly pure and glossy. 
Pure albinoes (that is, birds witli pink eyes) are born so ; and 
though birds may assume Avhite plumage in after years, they have 
always eyes of the natural colour. These birds are called Avliite 
varieties, and arc much more common than pure albino. Birds 
Avhich are A'arieties Avithout a pink eye are liable to assume normal 
plumage at next moult. Barely Ave find a bird Avitli pink eyes 
Avhich is not Avhite. I have a cream Missel Thrush and cream 
Bullfinch Avhich have them, but cases of this kind are verij rare. 
Birds in another state of plumage are sandy in colour : these I 
fancy in some cases have missed moulting, as their plumage some- 
times looks Avorn and hair-like. Water-hens are found like this 
(see interesting paper by Mr. J. H. Gurney, Jun., Trans. Korfolk 
and NorAA'ich Nat. Soc. vol. iii. p. 581). 
The commonest variety amongst birds is a pied one; birds in this 
state are generally quite as brilliant and healthy-looking as Avhen 
they are in normal feather. This I cannot account for. Wo often 
see a bird Avith about an equal number of Avhite feathers distributed 
over its body and Avings. Noav if lack of colouring matter cause 
this, hoAv is it that these Avhite feathers look quite as healthy as 
the normal ones do 1 The rarest variety is a melanism, and very 
feAv birds are found in a state of nature in this dress. I have only 
noticed the folloAving : — House SparroAv, Hedge SparroAv, Bull- 
finch, KedAving, Montague’s Harrier, Lark, Snipe, Woodcock, and 
Pomarine Skua. 
The subject of variety being so interesting, I trust that other 
Uaturalists Avill give us ' their opinions. AVhether Avhite birds 
Avould breed Avhite birds in a Avild state has never been proved, for 
the folloAving reasons — they are so rare, and so much sought after, 
that even if they lived to the spring, it Avould be a thousand to 
one against their finding another abnormal bird to pair Avith, and 
