Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-04-16
atiseellanu.
Talking Birds.

in the Southern countries almost every
town possesses its half dozen birds thai
are warranted to talk. sing, pray or swear
at you in any language, living or dead !;
and it is sorry fact that in the last accom-
pishment they are generally 'superby pro-
icient'
The species of parrots that are especial
ly noted for their mimic talking are the
green parrot Of the West Indies and South
America, and the gray parrot, or jaco, OF
Africa; and 10 some OF them 1t seems as il
they almost understood what they said
instead OF repeating from mere memory.
Some even repeat sentences as long as
the Lords Prayer, and they initiate al
noises with marvellous accuracy. Mr.
Seby tells Of one that was kept near a
quay in seaport tune, and had learned
all the words and ejaculatory terms that
were used by sailors and carriers and the
word back used by the carriers, was a
great favor:te with her. One day, seeing
a horse and cart on the quay, she yelled
out, Back, back upn with so much vigor
that the poor horse backed off the quay
and was drowned.
LIE Valiant tells Of one that lived to the
patriarchal age OF nnety-three years. In
his best days this parrot had been distn-
guished for his powers of conversation,
and he was SO remarkably docile that he
would perform many little acts when or
dered to do so, such as fetching his masters
slippers, calling the servants and the like.
When he reached the ripe age OF sixty he
began to lose his memory, and would con
fuse and tumble together different frag-
ments of former learning. From this
tine MS in6rmities went on increasing,
until in his last days he became perfectly
decrepit, and was only kept alive by being
fed at intervals with biscuit soaked in
Madeira.
a SINGING PARROT.
Figuier mentions gray parrot that was
purchased in Bristol, and its intelligence
was certainly wonderful. 1t asked for
things and gave orders, sang several songs
and whistled some airs very well, beating
the measure. When it made a false note
it recommended, and never committed the
mistake again. And again he says; I'VE
have often, when passing through the
Rue Flower des Flammes, at Montpelier,
heard parrot which distinctly sang and
articulated two verses of a song
In the Travels in Spain,' by the Mar
qus of Lange, he mentions parrot that
retained a quantity of things-an incredi-
bic number Of stories and anecdotes, which
it relates and articulates without hesita-
ton 1t spoke Spanish, murdered French
knew some verses of Racine, could say
grace, repeat the fable of the crow, and
count thirty louis They dared scarcely
hang its cage at the windows, for when it
was there, and the weather was fine, the
parrot talked ceaselessly.
1t said everything it knew, apostro-
phized all passers by, except women, and
talked politics. In prOnounclng the word
Gibraltar, it burst out laughing, and one
would think it was man that laughed.
To a parrot, Prince Lion owed his lie.
He had been condemned TO death by his
father, and the parrot took it SO much to
heart that he repeated without ceaslng,
Alas, nv master Lion = and the sorrow
of the bird made such an impression on
the brutal father that he released his
son.
THE PARROT AS A JUDGE.
VI. Lemeont relates a story where par
rot took Justice in her own hands and made
such hue and cry that the whole town
was aroused. In a town Of Normandy a
butchers wife beat her child numerically
every day. The infant sank under the ILL.,
treatment The justice of a man made no
remonstrance, but a gray parrot which
lived in the house Of a Topemaker oppo-
site to that of the butcher, took upon her
self the chast.sement of this unnatural
mother. 1t continually repeated the cries
which the poor child uttered when he saw
his mother rush at him with the rod in her
hand-sWhat for? What for ? This
phrase was uttered by the bird with such
doletul and su2plicatlng accents that the
indignant passers-by entered unexpectedly
into the shop and reproached the rope
maker for his barbarity. He justified
himself by showing his parrot and relating
the history Of his neighbor's child After
some months the woman, pursued by the
accusing phrase and the murmurs Of
public opinion, was obliged to sell her
business and leave the village. So with
all their noise and mischievous habits,
they are sometimes productive Of good.
A ROYAL BIRD.
King Henry VIII possessed right
royal parrot in more senses than one 1t
spoke long sentences of Latin and Greek,
swore little in French, nd was great
admrer of drinking songs of which it
knew a score. 1t was inevitably kept in a
large room Of the palace bordering on the
Thames, and one day when taking the air
and 'bird's-eye view of the river, it fell
over into the water, and as soon as she
could get tongue, she yelled out in a loud
voice, a boat boat Twenty pounds
to save me- a boatman Immediately
dove into the water, and was astonished at
finding, instead of man, the Kings par
rot He brought her ashore, carried her
to the King, and claimed the money the
bird had offered which was readily given
him. 1t is also related of this bird that
as an extremely young and modest noble
man was addressing the King she scream
ed, See the fool blush y The black
guard y etc, and so disturbed the young
orator that he was forced to retire in con-
fusion.
we have seen parrot says Button,
which had grown old with his master and
partahsn with him the infrmities of age
Accustomed to hear little more than the
word I'm ILL., when asked, How are you
Poll, how are your 4 am ILL., it replied
IL doleful tones, L am ILL., and stretchln ne
itself on the hearth, L am ILL., The
same author says: "A parrot from Guinea
being taught on the journey by an old
sailor, learned his voice and cough so per
tectly that they could not be mistaken
ALthou.h Il kad hnon c.i,ror rnnodi L eI 4