The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-09-29
INTELLIGENCE IN BIRDS.

That there are many specimens of
birds that are scarcely less intelligent
/ than the most sagacious of the quadru-
peds has long been known; and there
/ has been exhibited recently some very
/ remarkable feats by some members OF
/ the canary tribe. The great family OF
/ finches contains many species, such as
I the goId6Dch. bullfnch, chafhnch, red
/ mole brown finch or linnet, canary bird
Z and others. all of which have long been
known for their intelligent perception
in learning to perform almost every Kind
of trick which the ingenuity of man can
invent. Some other kinds of birds, how
ever. are little behind the finches in that
respect, the best known of which are
the raven rOOk, pelican and common
gull. l once had a specimen of the COM
mon gull which followed me about with
the fidelity of a dog. l captured it one
stormy day in autumn many years ago.
1t was disabled In one wing. the right
use of which it never afterwards fully
recovered. 1 kept it in the garden. 1t
soon learned to know my voice and come
at my call. 1t fed readily out of my
hand, and followed me in my rambles
by the side of a brook | was won't to
frequent. 1t delighted TO wade and
dabble in the water, but as soon as |
called ''Gully'' and moved away, it i'm
mediately followed and it would fol-
low no other member of the household
but myself. l taught it to carry small
trout which L captured with my hands
in the brook and it would carry home
for distance Of half mile or more one
or two of these with as much care and
fdithfulneS5 as a retriever would carry
a bird or a hare. L kept it for more
! than twelve months, when uuluckily it
was one day upon the road trampled up
on by horse and killed.
a correspondent of a North country
contemporary writes that gentleman
who was at one time the school master
at Fenwick, near Beal, had a pied roOk,
which he took from a nest in Kyloe
Plantation. This bird cOnld talk very
distinctly, followed the good lady of the
house wherever she went, and seemed
to understand every word she said to it
just about as well as if it was a member
OF the genus homo.
But the most remarkable bird that
ever came under the writer's Observa-
tion was bulIfnch kept by a friend of
his who resided at Haggerstone. This
bird, when young, was taken from a
nest at Fenwick Wood, and, strange to
say, its trainer was totally blind man.
He, however, not only fed it, but taught
1t to whistle some tunes with accuracy.
The Keel Bow' was its master piece.
which it could whistle with the utmost
eXactness. 1t had the full liberty of
the house and door and never attempted
to escape. Indeed, it would nOt-allow
its cage door to remain shut, but would
turn the wire catch with it's bill, and
open the door as soon as lett to itself. 1t
was pasSiOnately attached TO it's master
and seemed unhappy when he was out
of the house. When from home few
days together, as he had occasionally to
be, the bird seldom left its cage and
never chiTped note during his absence.
but the moment he entered the door it
stuck up the Keel Bow'' and flew to
him, perched upon his head and should
er, and exhibited many evident signs of
JOY. When at home the bird was con-
stantly hopping about him, or flying
from one piece of furniture to another,
and whistliEg his favorite tune. Where
isBully p my friend would say, and im-
mediately the bird would perch upon his
arm, head or shoulder, and sing out JOY
Ously, "Here - ''Bully, go to the door
and call that dog in, y his master would
say, and Bully at once few to the door
and whistled so exactly in imitation of
his master that the dog did not know
the difference, but came running in,
wagging his tail and crouching down
behind his master, believing that his
master and not the bird had called him
in. But Bully always knew the sound
of his masters foot andhis knock at the
door. No matter what time of night
my friend went home, and he was late
sometimes, and would often tap at the
door or window to see if the bird would
recognize him, the bird at once COM
mence to sing Justify and flew to him as
soon as he entered the house. He kept
this bird for five or six years, and had
been several times offered large sums Of
money for it, but refused to sell.