NOTES AND QUERIES. 227 



specimens or diagrams of the most typical. His remarks on the Archm- 

 opteryx (of wliich he produced one of the only two specimens known to 

 exist), on the Hesjyerornis (that gigantic wingless diving bird with teeth in 

 grooves in the lower mandible), the Ichthyornis (of powerful flight, with well- 

 developed keel to the sternum and teeth in sockets in the mandible), the 

 fish-eating Aryllornis and Odontopteryx (both with serrated bill, from the 

 London Clay), and other equally singular forms, were listened to with great 

 interest. In dealing with the RatitcB,'or keel-less birds incapable of flight, 

 he gave a brief description of Apteryx, Casuariiis, Dromeus, Rhea, and 

 Struthio, pointing out their distinguishing characters, and indicating on the 

 map their distribution in different geographical regions. Passing on then 

 to the extinct wingless birds of Mauritius and Kodriguez, he described the 

 Dodo and Solitaire, explained the probable causes of their extinction, 

 and quoted Mr. Whitmee's account of the curious change of habit in the 

 Diduncuhts, or Little Dodo, still existing in Samoa, and which, from being 

 a dweller on the ground, had come to live almost entirely in trees, thus 

 escaping the attacks of ground vermin, and thereby increasing its chances 

 of survival. After pointing out that certain flightless birds had nevertheless 

 a well-developed keel to the sternum for the attachment of the pectoral 

 muscles to move the forearm in swimming, he exhibited specimens of the 

 Great Auk and King Penguin, with an entire skeleton of the former now 

 extinct bird, from Funk Island, Newfoundland. At the conclusion of the 

 lecture the auditors were accompanied through the palseontological and 

 ornithological galleries by Dr. Woodward and Mr. Sharpe, who pointed out 

 to them en route various specimens of interest which aptly illustrated the 

 lessons which had been just previously imparted. 



Abnormal Eggs of Blackbird. — In the May number of ' The Zoologist 

 (p. 195) you published my account of a Blackbird's nest which contained 

 only light blue spotless eggs both last year and this. Her nest of this year 

 was taken, but she has now built again within a few yards. All her four 

 eggs are again light blue, and without a spot on any one of them. — J. H. 

 Buxton (Hunsdon Bury, Ware). 



Habits of Parrots. — An Indian Ring-necked Parrakeet, PalcEornis 

 torquatus, which I had for some years, used often, like Lord Clermont's 

 Parrot (p. 145) to dip his lumps of sugar into his drinking water to soften 

 them. I have no doubt it is quite a common thing for Parrots to do. The 

 bird to which I refer was a most entertaining one. He used to fly about 

 our grounds all day long, and no weather, however wet or cold, would induce 

 him to remain quietly in his cage. At dusk he would appear at one of the 

 kitchen windows and tap until he was admitted, and would then fly straight 

 to his cage, and always appeared to be very glad to find himself there again. 

 But when the next morning came be would be restless and noisy until the 



