The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-06-26
A Hunting Parrot.

A hermit, whose name is Nathan
Lask, brought with him from New Or
leans a fine young parrot, to which he
soon became more attached than any
other thing on earth. Seated upon his
shoulders, the parrot attended him on
all his walks. To train the bird and
| talk to it was almost his sole occupa-
ton. With the careful training of SO
loving q master, added TO it's great nat
ural talent for initiating all manner of
cries of birds and animals, this bird has
become a marvel of cunning and a great
wonder in its way. Taken into the hills
! bordering Big Mammelle creek, and the
signal beng given at intervals, it 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 a gobbler, the parrot pro-
| ceeds to lure him to death in the most
! fiendishly coquettish manner imagina-
bic. Seated on his masters shoulder,
charity and coyly the parrot replies.
Once he has fully attracted the atten-
tion of the vain and anxious gobbler,
often allowing him to call in fretful
tone twice or thrice before deigning to
answer he then, in q few low and ten
der notes, lures the proud bird of the
forest within range of the hunters dead
ly rife. Seeing the turkey struggling
in the agonies of death fills the parrot
with the most fiendish delight, to which
he gives utterance IN a succession of
blood-chilling "ha has" in all manner
of diabolical tones and keys. Should
the hunter miss his aim, however, the
parrot ruffies his feathers, croaks and
scolds, pulls his masters hair and long
refuses to be pacifed. Duck-hunting
in Fourche and Meto bayous is, how
ever, the parrots chief delight. Seated
in the bow of his masters boat, snugly
ensconced in patch of tall bullrushes,
the parrot bursts forth into such a
"quack, quacking" and general duck
gabble that there seems to be in the
vicinity whole flock of these birds, all
enjoying themselves immensely. Thus
are many passing focks of ducks lured
within range of the gun of the hunter.
Geese are in the same way called up by
the parrot; also many other wild fowl, |
and even deer, as the bird initiates the !
plaintive bleating of fawn or doe to a
nicely. No money would buy the bird,
and Nat Lask, seen strolling through |
the woods, gun in hand, and with his |
almost inseparable companion seated on
his lett SlOuluer, SeeIuS Il beCOuu DODlB- |
son Crusoe. Although SO perfect In his |
limitations of all manner of birds and |
animals, the parrot is not a great talker; |
indeed, his vocabulary is limited to a |
few words and one or two short phrases.
He will sometimes sing out "Nat, You |
lubber," and when Dan flanagan Ga |
brother boatman of Mats, living at the |
head of Bayou Fourche, and almost his |
only visitor), in his dug-out, is seen |
padding in toward the mouth of Big |
Mammelle creek, the parrot-whose
name, we forgot to say, is Bobby-will
shout flanagan, ahoyl flanagan,
ahoy p The moment Bobby sees his
master take down his gun, he is in a
great futter. He cocks his head on one |
side, his great red eyes sparkling with
delight, and, in a low, inquiring tone,
says "Turkey? turkey?" Ono, Bob
by" Nat will perhaps say, "nOt turkey
to-day" Bobby cocks his head the |
other way and softly says "Quack,
quack, quack - Bobby then bursts into
a loud Cha, ha, ha !" and cries, NAT, |
you lubber, quack, quack, quack u
Then ha, ha has, till the whole cabin |
rino,s again