We’ve written before about leucism in crows and ravens, which can cause lighter or abnormal coloring. This little crow, however, is an albino; the difference being that leucism is a loss of pigment, whereas albinism is a lack of it.
From the book of Basil Livanova “Remember the White Crow.” (The Notes of Sherlock Holmes)
What do you think, he said, is the most beautiful bird?
I do not know, I say, probably the swan?
No, the old man shook his head.
Then the peacock, I said.
No. Never!
What about a parrot?
The old man laughs,
No, of course not. And then he says: The most beautiful bird on earth is a white crow.
I then looked at my father, as he was silent, listening to the old man.
Why a white crow? I asked.
Because, answered the old man, she is exceptional. You can see a flock of swans, seven peacocks, a herd of ostriches, but nobody has ever seen a whole flock of black sheep. This can not be.
The old man thrust out his beard and looked at us defiantly. But we did not object.
An odd bird can not be optional, exclaimed the old man. It should be an omen, a gift! Of course, any crow may get covered in flour,chalk, painted white. Many ordinary crows do so. But they are not white – they are clowns. And the white crow can vilify, but to make it black – impossible. It is a white crow! It is the most beautiful bird, because it is more difficult than others. She will always stand out. Therefore, as a rule, every game becomes the object of attack. But it is much more important than any crows in flight. Imagine a flock where within flies only one white crow. One will not remember the whole flock! In life, these birds do not seem to happen. But in art, without them there is no life …
