The National tribune., 1906-06-28
ALBINOS.
Why Are There No Females Among
Themf

/ Editor National. Tribune: Some time
ago there was notice In The National
| Tribune that a white deer had been
| killed in Wisconsin. and mentioned that
such freaks are very scarce. They are
rare, indeed. l have lived in Michigan
SO years, and have never heard Of but
enc white deer being seen in the State.
In the Fall of 1877 one was killed in
| Oceana County by man. who skinned
it, stuffed the skin with straw, then
took it to a little village and exhibited
| it as curiosity. / heard Of It, sent
and bought it, and, being taxidermist,
| mounted ii, and it is now in my mu-
| scum, with many other animals. birds
and curios. Once a white red-squirrel
| but hurry of work prevented my
mounting 1t in time. and only the white
| tail was saved. Two white blackbfrds
| were killed near this city many years
ago. and they were mounted by DR.. De
Camp.
In the Summer of 1871 a white robin
and his mate had their home in the
woods just back of my neighbor's
house, and they were seen in the yard
after crumbs nearly every day.
planned u invite the male bird to re-
main with me while the mother went
south with the children when they
were large enough; but a man with his
gun passed along one day and shO. the
white bird. just to see what it was, then
threw 1t away. l have heard of white
crow and a white black squirrel. Now,
am not speaking of birds and animals
that are naturally white, like the white
swan or the white bear. but of those
pure freaks of nature where scarcely
one in 10000 or 100000 is white.
The dictionary defines Aibino as "a
person, whether negro. Indian or white,
in whom by some defect of organiZa-
ton the substance which gives color to
the skin, hair and eyes is deficient or in
a morbid state. An Albino has skin of
milky hue and hair of the same color.
and eyes with deep red pupil and pink
or blue iris
Now. that exactly describes the few
Albinos that have seen, whether birds,
animals or the human family The Pc
cuilar color of the eyes was very no.
ticeable in the animals and birds
I In the Summer of 1874 an Albino
family formed side show for cara
van that traversed the State of New
York. l went II miles, to Rochester.
to see them. There were four boys
about 16. Ia, IL and 10 years of age,
and their custodian said they were
brothers, and that their father and
mother were full-blooded negroes, as
black as negroes ever are. These BOYS
H,
put the hair was milky white. like
their skin, no tinge of pink except in
the whites of their eyes, and there the
pupils were red and the iris pinkish
blue. They rolled up their sleeves and
turned down their stockings to satisfy
the fncredulous that they We're not
painted. The older ones played base
VOL or violin, the next one played yio-
lin or banjo. and the youngest ratified
bones or played the tamborine. Their
music and their dancing greatly pleased
the audience. The color of their eyes
and hair convinced all that they were
genuine Albinos; but we never heard
OF them after that year
Now, why Is 1t that we never hear of
female Albino, either bird, animal or
human? Only one answer-there are
none; and why. no mortal can tell. Al
.blno seems freak that can only be
played upon the male sex. Do AIbinos
breed? Doubtful. Although that white
robin played the part of father to his
family in the Summer of 1871, ii would
be as difficult to tell If he was father
OF either one of the brood as 1t would
De to assign the chickens in the yard
to the proper rooster A fraternal feel
ing may cause AIbinos to associate with
others of their kind, but l doubt If they
ever breed. If they could breed. so
great resemblance in looks would
have caused association that would
have resulted in large Albino families
thousands of years ago. DID anybody
ever see or know of female Albino
animal or bird Asa w. Slayton. Co
b, 25th Mich.