4 JUNE 1942, Page 14

Albino Birds For a year or two I have seen

at intervals in a neighbour's garde very friendly blackbird, distinguished by a white head. It nested year in, some thick ivy growing against the house. The young are n at large, and though apparently as big as their parents, still demand be fed, and pursue about the lawn their not eagerly obedient pare One of these youngsters has a salient white patch on the wing. N it is said by the scientific biologists that albinism is not inherited. proper colour is latent and appears in subsequent generations. experience, both in this instance and in many earlier ones, is that w blackbirds have white descendants. There is one beautiful garden Hampshire) that was inhabited by piebald blackbirds for a very series of years. What is the biological explanation of such undoub facts? It is curious that black-coloured birds have the strongest tende to albinism. I have seen a completely white rook, very many vi blackbirds, but never a white thrush, though doubtless almost all s have produced examples. I once saw three white French partridges a covey.