Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-12-23
oRNITHOLOGICAL DEPRAvITY.

birds and are concerned about the
regularity of their habits and their
moral ell-being it is sad to see SO
many of them figuring in the news
papers of late in the chapter of mys-
FERROUS disappearance. OF course.
there are cases where the propinquity
of local cats of depraved matters and
shamefully gluttonous habits may ac
count for these strange occurrences.
and small boys with consuming am
bition for blowing safes and breaking
bars are not above beginning business
in a small way with exposed cages.
But it is greatly to be feared that the
sudden and continued absence OF
birds from their homes bespeaks in
herent moral torpitude of some kind.
This becomes quite obvious when one
remembers that according to the ad
vertisements it. is parrots who do
most of this mysterious disappearing.
Parrots are notorious i'll conducted
birds. In the first place the whole
of the kidney are partial to the I'M
genteelly loaferish diet of the
crackers, and are not ashamed to pub
licly and clamorously proclaim their
preference without in the least re
specting the aesthetic predictions
of their relatives. Again, parrots are
indecently profane. They have been
known to indulge in blasphemy on
the most solemn occasions and to
have caused their expulsion from
many quiet and religion respecting
abodes i'll consequence. Indeed. SO
shocking is the language to which
some of the tribes are addicted that
moral artist felt bound in con
science to blazon for society's repro
baton the violent expression of one
wicked parrot who misbehaved in
connection with the eyes and general
anatomy of hostile monkey, and to
put it in all the picture shops. Par
rots are natural born disturbers of
the peace anyhow, and a single par
rot. in his moments of soliloquy or
communion with the window shut
ters, can do more to impair the screen
ity and good temper of an entire
neighborhood Than any visitation
short of an organ grinder. .., -,
Mysterious disappearances OH the
part of parrots may be set down then,
without injustice, to some depravity
of their own. and whenever there is a
parrot reported missing there may be
cause to doubt if his character will
stand Investigations Good cause,
then, was there to grieve over the in
crease of wickedness in the commun
ity yesterday when there appeared
simultaneously in the daily issue of
the Herald two calls for absentee
cockatoos Here they are: '.. f..
FLEW Thursday morning, from
front window III West Forty fifth
street. a white Cockatoo. A liberal
reward for its return. .lt -.r
And again:
REWARD Lost, last Saturday, Il
white Cockatoo, yellow head, from
40 Wooster street. .
So il had come to that The cocka
toos were levanting also The white
coated, blonde -chignoned, high toned
cockatoos were getting as bad as the
low bred birds, and giving them
selves up to voluntary vagabondage.
A reporter, who undertook to inquire
into this, was panied to find the dom
inant ignorance pervading the com
munity in regard to the cockatoo.
There were some who had only seen
them in museums, more who had
made their acquaintance through the
vehicle of a picture book, and a
shamefully big lot who had never
seen blessed cockatoo at all. Worst
of all, there were disgraced beings
who couldn't tell cockatoo from a
cockatrice nor either from a cooked
hat, and who concluded it wholly alb
surd that two such rare birds would
mysteriously and almost scontempor
aneously disappear in this little com
munity without there being hubbub
over it, From the homes they had
abandoned. and where they had been
things of beauty but unpermanent
Joy, came little to clear away the
cloud of mystery from their fate
One had been lost to sight, the other
had deliberately absconded 1t could
not be learned II this was done with
any previous understanding, or if
both cockatoos, so to speak, had put
up a job" together. In despair the
reporter sought dictionary for in
formation, and learned that the cock
atoo was of the genus cdcotainp and
belonged to tire family Of parrots.
That explained it all. 1t was more
Of the infamous conduct of those
blasphemous, ear splitting. Com
plant Book filling miscreants in
green New York Herald.
TIM SLEEPING CkR INTERESTS The
Chicago, Milwaukee and st Paul
Railway Company has recently made
with the Pullman Palace Car Com
pany a contract whereby the latter
assumes control of the sleeping car
service Of that road and its associates.
having Il total length Of 1900 miles.
This gives the latter company con
tinuous service from the Atlantic to
the Rocky Mountains, with prospect
of speedy extension to Oregon and
California Speaking of the change
the Raiiuoy Age says that the sleep
ing car companies are now reduced
to three = the Pullman with about 800
cars, the Wagner with $50, and the
Woodruff with about 10. A few com
panies run their own sleepefs- among
them at present the Baltimore and
Ohio, st. Panl. Minneapolis and Man
itOba and Central Pacific. On the