194 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



A VES. 



Parrot Learning by Experience. — A Yellow-naped Amazon in 

 our possession was climbing on the wire supporting a pendant of 

 five small electric lamps, and bit it through, getting at any rate a 

 fall, and possibly a shock. Since this experience, she will not touch 

 anything in the shape of a cord or string, let alone trust herself on 

 a pendant wire. — W. Cboss (Aldgate). 



Sense of Direction in Birds. — In reply to Dr. Dewar's note 

 (' Zoologist,' xix. p. 156), my assumption as to the Polynesian Cuckoo 

 is identical with that of the late Prof. Newton. Of course, the whole 

 difficulty lies in the fact that the young British Cuckoo's first journey 

 is not a return journey. Until our theories as to the sense of direc- 

 tion in birds can solve this young Cuckoo problem, they afford no 

 assistance to a "nonplussed" student of migration like myself. — 

 Richaed M. Baeeington (Fassaroe, Bray). 



Hermaphrodite Fowl. — Some years ago I received a Fowl which, 

 when cleaned, proved to have male organs about the size of kidney 

 beans, besides an ovary with eggs as large as peas. It was forwarded 

 to me already plucked, so I cannot say what the plumage had been 

 like, but noticed it had one leg black and the other white. My 

 foreman saw it as well as myself, and noticed the peculiarity in the 

 sex organs. I have also had Herrings with hard and soft roes. — 

 F. H. Beooks. 



Blackbird's and Robin's Joint Nest. — When the tenant of a cottage 

 here was cutting the ivy on it, he uncovered and removed the nest 

 of a Blackbird, which flew from the nest when the ladder was put 

 up. The nest is an ordinary Blackbird's nest externally, but has an 

 added lining of hair, moss, and decayed vegetable matter, such as a 

 Eobin uses. It contained four Blackbird's and two Robin's eggs. 

 One of the former was afterwards broken, and found to be a good deal 

 incubated ; the Robin's eggs appeared to me to be fresh. Probably 

 the Robin added the lining during the laying period when the Black- 

 bird was off the nest ; but apparently she must have managed to lay 

 her two eggs during the incubation period. And in that case, as she 





