When autumn came its now longer winter coat lost the spots and became so pale as to be difficult to see towards dusk." This indicates a chinchilla mutation instead of albinism. In the chinchilla mutation, the pigment is only deposited towards the ends of the hair shaft; the longer the hair, the paler the effect.
When autumn arrived its winter coat lost spots and became so pale that it was hard to spot in the fading light." This indicates a genetic variation in the chinchilla's coat coloration, rather than albinism. The condition causes pigment to accumulate only at the ends of the hair shafts, resulting in a paler appearance with longer hair.