The Portland daily press., 1885-02-05
Hundreds Of Parrots
Sabbering in MANY Languages while their
Master Talks ubout Taem
On. Y. SUM-

IN. Y. SUM-
Several hundred parrots perched in cages
around the walls of a room on the ground
floor oil lis Roosevelt street on Saturday af-
ternoon, and when they were not screech-
ing or talking gazed silently at the old fash
Toned stove, on which steamed big tin pan
full of hot water. They howled in relays,
and the dozen of other animals that had
larger cages in the first tier looked unhappy
aud worried by the incessant din. Gazing
with fatherly ownership over his menagerie
was Donald Burns, wel-bnilt, clear-eyed
Scotchman with long bushy moustache and
curly brown hair. He said:
"These are only samples, but you can see
how every kind of parrot looks / got in over
800 last week, and have them stored away
now. They come in on sailing ships, chiefly
Portuguese. / give the Captains points
about what birds to get, and what they are
worth. I've one agent at Porto Bello to
whom send flour, hams, corn meal, and
gew-gaws. He trades these articles off for
birds. They go further than money. lex
pect to sell bird at twice what pay for
him, though take ten per cent. off for cash.
But ten per cent. of the parrots die, 80, al
lowing for feed and care, there is not as
much profit as you might think. did bus
mess OF $50 600 last year.
Parrots range in price from $5 to $25,
though many are sold for greater prices.
This large bird, all soft gray except red tip
on its tail, is gray African. They are
worth ordinarily from $40 to SIS. The Mexi.
can are the dearest and the best takers. A
good one is worth $25. pve one here that
niako6 II n ha SOanioh q rho hot h 30
up on the ship. They are light green, with
red wing joints and yellow heads. An ANA
zOn parrot is of a snarly disposition and dir
ty looking. It's worth $10 One of these
green and orange birds, with light blue fore
head, is worth SIS. When they have red
foreheads they are worth 81 less. Cuban
birds are cheapest, only So apiece. They
look uneasy, solemn and hypocritica.
Troopioles are new kind to be imported.
They look like half haiched chickens with
their yellow bodies and black heads and
wings. / sold one to Fourth avenue bar
Der for 500. 1t could talk, and whistle
Pretty Polly Perkins," two German waltz
es, and bugle song.
Alone, over in that corner cage / have a
queer animal, az Australian laughing Jack
ass. He don't do anything but sit Op his
perch and stare and grin in an idiotic way.
Every few minutes he brays. I'll poke him
and he'll bray for you"
Mr. burns took slat off the cage and
poked the bird. 1t Topped around uneasiy,
looked silly and brayed. 1t laughed silly to
itself over its SUCCESS, and MIR. Burns went
on:
"Holidays are the best time for me. The
week before Christmas sold 81 500 worth.
Sometimes l have 5000 parrots stored away
in various places around the city.
To teach parrot to talk, it should be kept
separate from other parrots, though they Of
ten learn from each other. The way think
best is tn keep it in your bedroom, and every
night before you 60 to bed put cloth round
the cage and say something to the bird. 1t
will ponder over it all night, and when you
take the clo,h off in the morning the parrot
will say what you said the night before For
example, il you say Good morning the
night before, the parrot will say Good
morning when it sees you the next morn
ing. After parrot gets started talking it
picks up lots OF things. You can teach one
to talk in six weeks.
Parrots naturally would all be centenali
ans. Bringing them here shortens their
lives 10 or 20 years on the average. never
knew one to die of old age. When they are
first brought here many of them die. In
fammation of the lungs or colds kill them
usually. The Oldest one know of is owned
by an Albany family. 1t is a gray African,
100 years old. 1t has been handed down
and treated with the best OF care. In Mexi-
co they often get to be 100. Families hand
them down as heirlooms, and they are spoken
of as our family parrot Parrots do not
propagate in this climate. A gray one has
been known to hatch out young ones in Eu-
rope, but never here. Paroquets born in
Australia will propagate here, but not often.
The proper temperature to keep room
with parrots in it is Y degrees. give them
tepid water to drink. 1t might give them
cold to drink hydrant water"