The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-12-10
Gbe Gintss, New Bloonthelo, ]pa.

The bishop of the diocese had been holding
confirmation and was lunching at the
rectory with several of his clergy. In the
midst of the repast one of those dreadful
pauses in the conversation took place. No
one seemed able to break il, when, to the
astonishment and dismay of all present,
ost-horrible-swearing tongue poured forth
a torrent of blasphemy and abuse upon the
assembled guests. Every one looked
aghast at these unusual sounds, which for
a moment or two continued uninterrupted.
The hostess, however, hastily rising from
the table, drew aside muslin curtain and
discovered the offender in the person of
gray parrot, purchased that morning from
travelling bird dealer.
This habit of using profane and filthy
language is generally caught by parrots on
their sea voyages from the sailors. When
good Queen Charlotte visited Admiral
Hawkes. flag ship to congratulate him on
his great victory, she was attracted by
gray parrot which hung in the forecastle.
The bird was singing God save the King
Every note and word was given with such
perfect accuracy that her majesty, surpris-
ed and delighted, requested closer inter-
view, and during lunch the parrot was
consequently swung in her cage on the
quarter deck. No sooner had she reached
her place of honor, however, than she for
got all her good manners. A torrent of
immodesty, unfit for royal, or even plebian
ears, was poured forth, and the creature,
unconscious of indecorum, was hurried
back to the sailors quarters.
As rule, parrots do not learn to speak
by rote. A phrase repeated hundred
times will often never be learned, whereas
sharp word, an angry expression or a
quick retort, is caught instantly.
1t is said that macaws are the best talk
ers of the whole species, providing they are
reared from the nest. And not only are
they able to talk, but they also sing in a
peculiar, soft voice. In sweetness, though
not in compass of musical notes, they are,
however, excelled by the grass or green
paroquet. While the cockatoo is the har
diest of the parrot tribe, and the most
easily tanned, it is, at the same time, the
most difficult to teach to talk at all well.
Its disposition is more gentle, however, and
its obedience more implicit than any of
the other species. The gray African par
rot, from it's docility and aptitude ranks
everywhere first as a favorite, though of
late years the common green Amazon, from
the little attention it requires and its quick
sagacity, is sharing the general favor.
A gentleman residing in Wilmington,
Delaware, owns one of these Amazon par
rots. 1t possesses a fiuency and variety of
language rarely ever equaled by African
gray. AS soon as his master returns from
the Office for dinner, Polly begins to salute
him in fondest expressions: Papa dear,
come and kiss your pretty green beauty
Come in, Papa, come in, and give us a
kiss and a thousand more ~
When the footman enters the room she
says to HIM, but never to any one else
"Fetch my dinner, James, I'm hungry.
Stupid fellow i can't eat my head off ~
To bachelor friend, who frequently
spends several weeks in the house, Polly
has but one question, never put to anyone
else--"Oh, you gay deceiver, why did you
promise to marry me and didn't"
To gentleman, near neighbor, whom
she had once overheard saying, at the af
ter-dinner table--"The birds invaluable
five hundred dollars would not buy her if
owned her, would it Polly ?'-she alwayi
addresses him the moment he appears
"Five hundred dollars would not buy
Polly if you owned her Five hundred
dollars Five hundred dollars! Why, the
birds invaluable ~
This Wilmington parrot certainly dis
eliminates between the sexes and between
conditions in life. To well-dressed young
gentleman the remark is, "What get up
What swell you are !"
To young lady, on the contrary fond
ling and caressng, she says with deferenc'
HIs she not nice ?-so nice ~
Whereas, to clergyman, who is detec
ted by his Dress sho is exceedingly often
sive, perpetually calling out-"Let III
pray" "Glory be to God" "Amen."
She was once lost, stayed out over might
and grief and searches ruled the disconso
late household. At day-break, however, {
workman, going to his job, was hailed by
Polly, from pile of bricks with the call
"Take me home Take me home ~
Whether the night chilled bird did or die
not attach meaning to the words, it is Ger