The morning call., 1891-04-26
CLIMBING BIRDS.
Some Pleasant Talk About Parrots and Their
Kind.

Birds and beasts have what is commonly
called instinct, and a majority of people
would say that an impossible gulf lies be-
tween that instinct and the intelligence of
mankind. But within three feet of the
hand that is writing these lines there is
little animal that will be of voting age next
autumn I'll years. aud that has more intel
ligence than many voter that you will see
about the polls on election day.
1t is handsome yellow-head Mexican
parrot. He is sitting demurely on the swing,
at the top of his cage, watching the move
ment of the pen, and occasionally looking
up QuiZZically at the writer's face as II TO
ask, ''Are you writing anything about me 2,
Ii you want test of bird intellect give Paul
(he spells it Pa-oo-H bit of cracker that has
been quickly dipped in coffee. He will first
politely say "Thank you," then he will lake
the cracker in one of his foot-hands and
leisurely cat the outside portion, which has
been s0ftened by the coffee. Then lie viii
stop. He doesn't eat hard cracker, and he
will moisten this piece by putting it into
his water cup.
But how can lie do it? He cannot get
from his swing to the cup, eight inches be-
low, without climbing down the side of the
cage, which neceSSitates the use OF both his
beak and his hand-feet. He has neither
pocket nor hat in which to stow the cracker
and he can't drop it into the cup because he
is in the top center of the cage, while the
cup is below at the side. But Paul knows
how to do it. He drops the cracker to the
bottom, then reaches the side of the cage
with his beak, climbs down aud soon has tue
morsel in his mouth again. He then can
easily Chamber up to the water cup, in which
he drops the cracker and eats it when II Is
softened enough to suit his taste.
DO not use the feminine gender in speak
ing OF parrot that you have SEEM 1t is
extremely unlikely that You ever saw a fe-
male parrot. The females are not nearly so
handsome as the males. Their vocal ability
is only on a par with that OF the female
canary birds and they do not breed in our
climate. Hence they are not imported. You
see, then, that 1t IS misnomer 10 call your
parrot polly"
The first parrot seen in England was
brought there by sailor, who, knowing
nothing about the birds sex, named it Polly
in honor of his sweetheart. This name has
strangely stuck 10 the species and has led
most people to speak OF the parrots we see
as il they were females. And do not make
the greater blunder of saying poll parrot"
unless you have some reason Tor particular
iZiDg the fact that you are talking about
bird that has not been beheaded. Poll
means simply head.
OF all the thousands of species Of birds
there are only three that can climb, and the
parrots are the only species that use the
beak in climbing. There is a kind of small
parrot found in the southern portion of the
United States, but these birds are yearly
growing more rare and no doubt they Will
soon be extinct. The only climbing bird
that is native and to the manner born" of
our country is the wood pecker, one of the
aforesaid three species of climbers. These
beautiful, intelligent and harmless birds are
annually slaughtered in great numbers by
thougbtleSS or brutal gunneTs, and they, too,
will be extinct In the United States ere
many years unless their lives are protected
by stringent laws against their slayers.
The WOOdpeckeT'S Deak. unlike the par
rots, is long and sharp instrument, which
serves the bird as sort of combination
auger, chisel and Ratchet With this il
strikes blow that in the still woods can be
heard half mile away. 1t makes a hole in
deeayed tree in search of worms. and then
introduces its long tongue, which has glu-
tInous substance on the end, and transfers
the squirmlng prey to its mouth.
Have you ever wondered how bird can
be constantly on its feet without firing Its
legs or without falling when it sleeps? The
legs of a canary bird. for example, are but
little thicker than knitting needle, yet the
little creature hops about on them all day
without apparent WEAKNESS AMI sleeps
standing" without danger of tumbling from
its perch. Here is the explanation In front
of the birds thigh-bone there is large and
very strong muscle with a long tendon or
cord extending down the leg to the foot,
where'it divides into branches and goes cut
to the ends of the toes. Now when the bird
is still its weight causes apulling movement
Oh the big muscle. This contraction is COM
municated all the way down to the toes and
the latter are therefore drawn up tightly
around the perch. BY this queer arrange
ment the birds claws cling iDyoluntarily TO
| the perch when 1t sleeps. \ GU can demon
| strate this with the severed leg of a fowl.
| Pull the tendon of the leg and the claws
| will close Just as they naturally do under
| the birds own weight-Phila1elph Times.