The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-11-08
mo. FL
Poll Parrot.

the jackdaw, may be taught to utter
intelligciblc sentences but all these,
and even tho parrot himself must
sucoomb to the startling, whose imita-
tive powers arc equal to those of any
other bird (save, perhaps, tho Ameri.
can mocking bird), and who, to tho
fonlty Of speech, adds the charm of a
wild but melodious song. Anecdotes
of tho Startling are not uncommon
every body knows the story Of Stcrne's
Imprisoned bird, who complained un-
ceasingly sl can't get out can't
get out;" and perhaps most of our
readers could match that story with
another rs good. But We once
fell in with starting whose genius
scared far abovo that Of tho bird of
Sterpe; and we amay as well close
this paper with report of that
memorable intagview, in which wo
shall be careful to set down nothing
more than the simple fact. Thus it
was.
On day (now many years ago)
whom VIC happened to require tho SER
vices of tonsor, wo stepped into
barber's shop, in rather retired
street Of tho town where we then
dwclt. 1t was vcrging towards sun.
sot, and tho shop window being
darkened with wigs, busts, bottled
hair brushes, fronts, perfumes,
sponges &c, tho contents of the apart.
mcnts werc not clearly visible in the
comparative gloom. On our opening
the door voice called out:
"Gentlcman wants to be shaved
gentleman wants to be shaved !"
"No," said I, sI want my hair
out"
"Gentleman wants to be shaved -
rang the voice again.
Tho barber came forward from an
inner room, saying, "You'ro wrong this
time, Jacob 5" and drawing up a small
blind to let in moro light revealed
a startling in cage, who, I thon saw,
bad boen the solo shopkocper when
entered.
While sat under tho scissors, tho
operator commenced conversation
with the bird.
"Come, jacob, give US q song now
come, jacob !"
"Como ami "kisa m", thon," said
the bird, in accents almost as plain az
those Of child Of Fix or scvoa years
and kiss me-como and kiss
mc-come and kiss me !"
The barber put his lips to tho
wires of the Gage, and the bird thrust
his bill between thom, and suc,es-
sion of loud kisses onsucd, in which it
was not possible to distinguish those
of tho human from tho feathcred
biped, until the barber had resumed
his task, whom tho bird continued
kissing the air for some minutes.
"Come, that's kissing enough, Ja-
COB now give Us song, Come,
'llome, sweet homep"
With that tho barber began whist
ling the air tho startling took it up,
and continued it alone to tho con-
clnding bar of the second strain,
it with perfect accuracy up
to that point, and then breaking into
"Ah Jacob, jacob why don't you
finish your music : That's the way
it ID sir-you can't get en- to sing n
whole tune they always 60 off into
their own wild notes before they get
to the end"
Jacob now began again to insist that
wanted shaving, and would only bo
convinced to the contrary by moro
kissing. When he was quicted, I
asked his owner how he had suo-
'eeded in teaching him so cffcctu-
ally.
II had him young, sir" he said,
and he had nothing to unlearn when
got him. Ever since he has boen
my only companion, except whom
customers come in, from morning to
night. / sit by him nearly all day,
perhaps weaving q wig or doing some
other quiet job, and I talk to him,
and he talks to me. Of course T
don't teach him ono thing before he
has learned another aud if I was
to try to teach him too much, pcr-
haps he wouldn't learn anything.
lie can talk a great deal more than
you have yet heard, and he'll speak
again presently"
Ofthis [ had some doubts, as tho
bird was then busy feeding but no
sooner was tho cloth removed from
my neck, and I rose from my seat,
than up started Jacob to his perch,
and began shouting with the whole
forco of his little lungs "Gentle-
man pay your money--Gentleman
pay your moncyp and he continued
to vociferato this delicate reminder
long after tho money was paid--as
long indeed as continued within
hearing.
Mrs. H., young mother, was exbi.
with considerable pride, to
o lumber Of admiring friends, hcr