NOTES AND QUERIES. 145 



Habits of Parrots. — Will any of your readers be kind enough to say 

 whether they have observed Parrots to have the habit, when given a piece 

 of lump sugar, of dipping it, while still held in the bill, into the water-tin 

 of their cage to moisten the sugar before they begin to eat it ? A Parrot 

 of the Amazons group, as I believe, which has been under ray observation 

 for four or five years past, has hardly ever omitted this practice with his 

 daily lump when he has been seen in the act of eating it. He dips it com- 

 pletely into the water, moistening it effectually. — Clermont. 



Fulmar Petrel in Somersetshire.— I have to record the occurrence of 

 the Fulmar Petrel near Taunton on December 29th, 1883. It was in 

 full moult, and probably just assuming fully adult plumage, as many pale 

 brownish feathers were left on the upper parts, these being much worn. 

 The first three primaries were also much worn ; the outer webs, or what 

 was left of them, were dusky, slightly marked with pale brown ; the rest 

 were clean-moulted, and were those of the fully adult plumage. — Cecil 

 Smith (Bishop's Lydeard, Taunton). 



Leach's Petrel in Somersetshire. — I have lately examined a specimen 

 of Leach's Petrel, which was shot early in October last while flying up the 

 Avon below the Clifton Suspension Bridge. I thought at first it might be 

 Wilson's Petrel, as the tail is not so much forked as is usual in Leach's 

 Petrel; but the measurements correspond more nearly with those of the 

 latter species, and are as follows: — Bill, 06 in.; wing, 6-2 in.; bare 

 tibia, 0-4 in.; tarsus, 1 in.; the interdigital membrane black. — Eoger Foed 

 (Wraxall Court, Nailsea). 



[It may be useful if we give here the comparative measurements of the 

 three species of small petrel which are most likely to be met with not only 

 on the coast, but occasionally blown inland during a gale. They are as 

 follows : — 



BiU. Wing. 



Storm Petrel . 0-4 in. 4-9 in. 



Leach's ... 0-6 „ 6-6 „ 



Wilson's . . 0-0 „ 5-9 „ 



The general colour of all is sooty black, with white upper tail-coverts. The 

 first and third have the tail square; in Leach's it is forked. Wilson's 

 Petrel may be at once distinguished from Leach's by its square tail, greater 

 length of leg, and by the interdigital membrane being yellow instead of 

 black.— Ed.] 



Occurrence of the Swallow-tailed Kite in Europe.— In the collection 

 of local birds in the Valletta University Museum is a specimen of the 

 Swallow-tailed Kite, Elanoides furcatus. This being a New World bird I 

 made special inquiries concerning it from Dr. Julia, the Professor of Natural 

 History at the University, who informed me that several years back this 



