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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Albinos in Essex
By G. Malenoir
IN early 1959 the national Press published an article concerning
a peculiar frog from a Surrey garden. The Frog had been
identified by the Horniman Museum as an albino.
Later that year members of the Essex Field Club interested
in Herpetology managed to collect two similar Frogs from the
Walthamstow area, a female from the forest and a male from a
garden pond in a heavily built-up area. This in itself should not
have been thought unusual as later investigation showed that
about 1935 a considerable number of these unusual Amphibia
had been recorded by the local Press. The 1959 specimens were
almost certainly the descendents of the 1935 frogs.
The unusual colouring of the female was most interesting.
She was one of a dozen from a ditch. She had bright orange
markings on a creamy yellow background with no trace of dark
pigmentation. Her eyes were a brilliant red.
The male was a pale ochre colour with no other markings and
with lighter red eyes than the female.
Some doubt was expressed as to whether the animals were
true albinos and the specimens were kept for breeding. At a
meeting of the British Herpetological Society the Frogs were
examined by several well-qualified members who agreed that the
animals were indeed albinos. Also recorded in 1959 was the find-
ing at Loughton of female albino Slow-worm, which was also
examined at the Herpetological Society meeting. The reptile
was of a pearly pink shade, the pink colour being due to the
blood-vessels under the almost colourless skin. Of all the many
Slow-worms recorded by us in Epping Forest and elsewhere, we
have never found others similar to this. The usual colour varies
between a bright copper through various browns to a slate grey.
However, we have found two others in the same area that had
pure white scales, singly distributed on the body.
Despite an extensive search in the literature no account of
albino Slow-worms was found. The late Malcolm Smith in his
British Amphibians and Reptiles mentions that "Albinos are
occasionally found and recorded". We feel sure that elsewhere in
Essex these creatures appear from time to time and any reader
is asked to notify the Recorders of any unusual frog, toad or
reptile they see so that a systematic search can be made.