Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-07

"A of their own, with words
~ to express all the emo
ton and to convey under
standing to others Of their kind. They possess
notes toindicate alarm, notes of love- notes of Gu.
riosity, notes Of pain, notes Of hunger, notes OF
sorrow, notes Of joy. notes of soothing for their
young, notes for calling their fellows together,
notes of peevishness-vocal sounds, in short,
by which they are able to make their feelings
known and to communicate their ideas on every
subject. Nor is it true that they can only speak
intelligibly to one another Their conversation
| is easily understood by any human being who
has made u sufficient study of bird talk / N.Y.
| self grew up in the country among birds do
mesticated and otherwise, and what they say is
as plain and clear to me as any utterances of
your own. Not only do 1 comprehend them.
but have no difficulty in making them COM
prehend me. l can, in a moment. by little
murmur sooth to content a flock of small chicks
that are crying for the mother hen.
THE INTELLIGENCE OF BIRDS
81 assure You that birds have far more intel
ligence than they usually given credit for
Science gives much study to their physical
! structure and classification. but none worth
mentioning to their minds, and so from pure
| ignorance II is imagined that the latter do not
amount to much. Just to illustrate the fact
pet crow that got from the nest when was a
boy, when 1t seemed to be pretty much all
| head and mouth. He used to go out hunting
with me. no matter how many miles Travelled
with gun on shoulder, and, for his share in
the sport. he thought it great fun to chase the
| rabbits and cats. But he was dreadfully per-
secuted by all the wild crows, which appeared
| to disapprove of him because he was a tame
one. On our journeys in search Of game he
would fly nearly out of sight and then come
nerch uhi a,l
| pull Mt my ears
Jim was very Jealous Of pair Of young
| pigeons that kept. He would take all their
food and hide it. and in this way / have known
MIN TO get away at one time with thirty-two
mice. took him to spend a weeks visit with
| me at the house of an aunt of mine, who took
particular pride in a certain patch Of most
beautiful cabbages. The crow, having been
driven away by my relative from the cabbages.
lest he take notion to eat any, seemed there
upon to determine upon revenge, which he
very neatly executed. 1t was favorite amuse-
nent OF his to tease big dog that belonged on
| the premises. and he enticed this dog into the
| cabbage patch by flying across il with the ami
NAL In pursuit. By crossing and recrossing the
patch, flying low. Jim succeeded in making the
dog gallop through the cabbages in every direc-
ton, 80 that they were well-nigh ruined, much
to my aunts anger and disgust.
TAME CROWS FRANKS
"When came home in the afternoons Jim
would fly to meet me as soon as / was within
sight. Sometimes he would come to the school
and look in at the window wistfully. favorite
game of his was to take little kittens by the
tail and pull them backward Also he liked TO
chew all the buttons OFF the family wash when
1t was hung out. He would be very affectionate
to one of the hens at about laying time
When she was about to lay he would sit down
lovingly beside her and as soon as the egg was
laid he .-o,,1I A. l. L. I. n
to be subsequently found in a neighbor's bed
room admiring himself in the mirror. At one
time was away for seven months and when
came back he received me with the most ex-
travagant evidences of joy and affection, dane
ing around me, Tapping his wings and crying
out loudly. When confined to his cage he used
| TO spend hours in coastirg down an inclined
plank. using the top of a mustard can for a
sled. He would carry the sled up to the top of
the plank, step into it and slide to the bottom,
repeating the operation again and again with
the greatest glee.
"lf there are any wiser birds than crows.
those birds are parrots. know a parrot that
will put on its overcoat if it sees you doing the
same-so far as launching up its shoulders can
express the idea. When it sees big dog il will
initiate big dogs bark. but if the dog is a
little one, it will bark like little dog Some
times it has to be whipped for being naughty.
| and then it always begs for mercy by holding up
one foot alongside its head Now, il happens
that although parrots ordinarily are by nature
fruit eaters, this one is not allowed fruit be-
cause it makes him sick. The other day he
WAS left at liberty in room where a dish of
grapes were on a table. Overcome by the
temptation, Polly ate all the grapes, and, when
some one came in, the first object seen was the
parrot in an attitude of contrition and appeal
holding up one foot in the air. One day on a
railway train Polly shut up in a basket.
A passenger called Babyr to tot that had
strayed into the aisle, upon which the bird at
once began to cry like an infant.
PARROTS NIMIcRY.
''The lady to whom this parrot belonged has
a way when she drops anything by accident of
saying, Go itr A day or two ago Polly worked
his feeding dish out of the bars of his cage, so
that it fell TO the ground. Go it he said
| cooking his head on one side. l always avoid
going near the cage of this bird when am cat
ing fruit, because he is so fond of 1t and vet
cannot be allowed to have any. If l do SO he
will make noises like the smacking of lips and
will ask, Is it good? Is it good? Sometimes
the parrot will initiate two ladies talking. one
in the same room and another in another
| apartment. The mimicry of the imaginary
| conversation is really marvellous. On occasions
it will appear to be SO convulsed NTH laughter
hardly to be able to articulate what it is try
ing to say. Or, after making some remarks
which have excited the laughter Of others,
while Polly has been entirely grave. he viii,
when pause follows indulge in a quiet little
'ha. ha = all to himself. just as person might
''People deny that birds possess language.
refuse to believe that their intelligence is any,
thing beyond instinct, and finally assert that
they have no souls. The first assertion is a
proven absurdity, while the second has been
long exploded. Instinct, anyhow is only an
ignorant term for inherited experience"