Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-01-21

A REMARKABLE PARROT.

AhAi1hApSiiS $780,
20, 1888:
At Windsor, VT, in the possession
of Col. M. X. Paine. there is par
rot whose story may be interesting to
the boys and girls who read the
Journal. 1t is a gray, African par
rot, and at the time it was purchased
in Boston was warranted to say
hundred words. But now he goes
far beyond that, and has learned to
vary sentences to suit the occasion.
In the morning he greets the family
with tgood morning-pleasant MORN
ing" and then, if no one pays any
attention to him, he repeats it, in
gruff and imperative voice, until he
gets response. He initiates every
sound that he hears, even the tones
of individuals, so that members of
the family in another room are often
puzzled. His cat-fghts are wonder
full limitations. He picks up snatches
of tunes, very easily, and learns to
whistle whole tunes with good ex-
preston. Every luxury he calls
peanut. One day he lost a peanut
through the wire floor of his cage.
He tried in various ways in vain to
get hold of it, and, after storming
around his cage, he came as near to
it as he could, and, in a wheedling
tone, said: "Good morning, peanut.
Don't you want to come up?" He is
fond of playing with an almond, US
ing it as a boy would ball, throwing
it up and shouting "Hello" or "Oh'
if it happens to hit him on the head.
AS he throws it he calls out ''Hello,
peanut" At night the canary birds
cage is put on the table by him, and
he comes down from his perch as
close as he can and calls in tender
tone, "Poor little pussy" That is
his term for any pet. He often whis-
pers in a confidential tone, and laughs
at his own joke. He says: GLOW
do you do? Is Polly Well? Is Polly
cold? What is the matter? What
ails your etc. He has great deal
of curiosity about the telephone, an
swering "Hello % and often calls out,
"Whats the talk?" He likes to have
his poll scratched, and in q cracked
voice rings all sorts of changes on
the sentence, "Do you want mother
to scratch your poll?' He was heard
to say to the cat, "Poor little pussy
do you want me to scratch your poll ?"
He remembers the family that he liv
ed with formerly, and calls their
names and says, "Where is the little
boy? Has he gone to SCHOOL," He
let out the fact that he had been &C
customed to be punished. Sometimes
he bites the wires of his cage, and
makes them ring, and shouts,
"Naughty, naughty Polly! Do you
want the stick?" When he is pun
ished he cries, sect out Go away J"
and stands on one foot, and holding
up the other turns over and examines
it. He shows great deal of curl
osity about what happens in the
house, and one day watched the open
ing of a box, and said, "What are
you doing there?" He calls himself
pet names, such as "Polly Wolly."
"You rascal" "You old scalawag,
Polly" In a thunderstorm he was
frightened and at very loud clap he
jumped on his perch, and in a human
frightened tone, cried out, "What's
the trouble?' These are only few
specimens of the words and sentences
that he has acquired, and he is con.
stantly learning and is often overheard
practlcing the words by himself. Nc
idea can be given of the wonderful
variety of expressive tones that he
employs. His range is beyond thai
commonly used by ordinary people.