The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-05-22
MISCELLANY.
A Hunters Parrot.

A correspondent of the Little Rock
(Ark.) Gazette sends that paper the fol-
lowing account of com mon poii-parrot,
which ii is claimed, has not only been
trained to hunt, batwhich has learned
to take great delight in the chase The
owner and trainer of this hunting par
rot il a boatman, who formerly Plied be-
tween Little Rock and New Orleans,
but who some years since gave up the
business of boating and has since led the
life of a hunter, Living in a snug cabin
at the Junction Of Big Mammelle creek
with the Arkansas river. This hunter
hermit, whose name is Nathan Lusk,
brought with him from New Orleans,
on making his hast trip TO that city,
fine young parrot, to which ne sosn be-
came mora attached than any other
thing on earth. Seated upon his shout
ders. the parrot attended him in all his
walks. To train the bird and talk to II
was almost his sole occupation. With
the careful training Of 30 loving mas
tor added TO its great natural talent for
initiating all manner of cries of birds
and animals, this bird had become a
marvel of cunning, and great wonder
i'm its wav. Taken into the hills border
ing Big Mammelle Creek, ana the sig
nal being given at intervals, 1t utters
the cry of the turkey so perfectly as to
deceive the oldest and most astute COB
bier that ever strutted. On being an
swered by gobbler, the parrot proceeds
to lure him to death in the most hend-
ishly coquettish manner imaginable.
Seated on his masters shoulders, charity
and coyly the parrot replies. Once he
has fully attracted the attention of the
vain and anxious gobbler, often allow
ing him to call in fretful tone twice or
thrice before deigning to answer, he then,
in few low and tender notes, lures the
proud bird of the forest within range OF
the hunters deadly rife. Seeing the
turkey struggling in the agonies of death
fills the parrot with the most fiendish de-
light, to which he gives utterance In
succession of blood-chIlling "ha, has,
in all manner of diabolical tones and
KEYS. Should the hunter mis- his aim
however, the parrot rutfles his feathers
croaks aud seolds, pulls his masters
hair, and long refuses to be pacifed
Duck hunting in Forche and Meto Bay
GUS is, however, the parrots chief de
light. Seated in the bow of his mas
ter's boat, snugly ensconded in a patel
of tall bull rushes, the parrot BURST
forth into such ''quack, quacking," ant
general duck gabble that there seems tC
be in the vicinity a whole flock of thes'
birds, all enjoying themselves immense
ly. Thus are many passing fiocks o
ducks lured within range ofthe gun o
the hunter. Geese are IN the same wa!
called up by this wonderful parrot; ais
many other wild fowl and even deer, a
the bird initiates the plaintive bleatini
of fawn or doe to a nicely. No mon
ey would buy the bird, and Nat. Lusk
seen strolling through the woods, gun i
hand and with his almost inseparable con
panion seated on his left shoulder, seem
a second Robinson Crusoe. Although p
perfect in his limitations of all manner c
birds and animals, the parrot il not
great talker; indeed, his vocabular
is limited to few words and one or tw
short phrases. He will sometimes sin
ont, "Nat. you lubber," and when Da
flanagan, Ia brother boatman of Nat
living at the head of Bayou Forche, an
almost his only visitor,) in his dug ou
is seen padding in toward the mouth {
Big Mammelle Greek, the parrot-who'
name, we forgot to say, is Bobby-wi
shout, "Lanago, ahoy! flanagan, Al
hoyI" The moment Bobby sees his mast'
take down his gin he is in great flute
He cocks his head on one side, his gre
red eyes sparkling with delight, and in
low, inquiring tone says: Turkey? tn
key?'' "No, Bobby" Nat. will perha
say, "not turkey to-day" Bobby coc
his head the other way and softly say
"Quack. quack, quack?" ayes, Bobby
says Nat, "quack, quackp' Bobby tn
bursts into loud "ha, ha, hal" and crit
"Nat, you lnbber, quack, quack, quack
Then he ha, has till the whole cab
rings again.