The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-11-06
WAYS OF PARROTS.
A DEALER TALKS INTERESTINGLY OF
THESE INTELLIGENT BIRDS.

THESE INTELLIGENT BIRDS.
Most of Them Come From Mexico-How
They Are Captured. Shipped to This
Country and Traincd-A Few Have Vo-
caBuIaries of Five Hundred Words.
The business of supplying parrots as pets
is now regularly organized and well de-
veleped branch of trade. Many of the par
rots in tho market today como from south
ern Mexico. A few years ago the popular
bird was gray parrot which camc from
Africa But Of late years the Mexican
green parrot, of which there are three va
rictics-thc double yellow head the red
head and the large Mexican red head
have taken its place entirely for two excel
lent reasons. They are IL harder bird and
a bird that will sing-that is, of course,
initiate singing-which the gray parrot
cannot be depended on for He never was
much Of a musician.
The Mexican parrot, on the contrary, is
q very fine singer ard can be taught any
thing short of an air from ID grand opera
Then the gray parrots are very delicate
birds. They are caught young and brought
over in steamers and kept i'll warm room
OH tho vessel, sometimes the boiler room.
With the sudden change of climate on
landing in this country they often get
pneumonia or some other lung trouble,
and if they oncc get sick there is no saving
them Here the Mexican bird again has
the advantage. He is quite hardy and re-
quircs much less caro- in acclimation The
average life of these Mexican birds is 90 to
y Thn,- hnI-p lpHJ, known tO Is Vp
so and 60 years. or course some of the
encyclopedias will try to prove by statistics
that tho parrot lives to he 100. But you
can put that alongside the story that the
elephant lives 900 years.
There are exceptions to the average age
of parrots, of course, but bird so years
uftl il as rare as Il man that lives to 100
The Mexican green parrot lives in the
depths of tho woods 30 to 100 miles from
tho seacoaSts Of Mexico. He is IL prolific
breeder and keeps well paired the season
through. Each pair will average three
broCds Of two or three birds apiece. They
live principally on fruits, nuts and berries
The breeding season is over in August,
and then the birds separate until the next
mating season, in March. They fly in
tlocks regardless of each other. They have
powerful wings and are great ficrs, but
are not migratory. Hundreds of poems
near Tampico and other towns make II liv
ing by collecting the young birds every
spring. They climb the trees and take the
lcdslings from the nests. Tho young birds
have to hc tcndcrly handled, being little
larger than sparrows, and are hand fed on
boiled rice and maize. They are shipped
to us before they are able to take care of
Themselves. The parent birds will some
times fight when their nests are being rob-
bed They are strong: and an old bird can
take a man finger OFT.
The principal market is Tampico, and
probably 5000 birds arc shipped from
there annually to various parts of the
world. More than half of them come to
this country Tho natives get an average
Of 80 cents apiece for tho young birds in
Tampico, tho double yellow head always
bringing the best figure. The birds are
Gagged together, and are easily handled,
having never known their liberty. An old
bird is of no value.
Tanrpico is visited every spring by buy
ers from the United States, representing
the principal dealers in parrots, who are
located in New York city, Baltimore, New
Orleans, Boston and Philadelphia. There
is no combination among the buyers or
count and stays until the season is over.
The young birds are shipped in large
wooden crates, from 80 to 100 in each
crate. They are showed in like poultry,
and good many of them die on the pas
sage. Fully 90 per cent of the birds that
lcave Tampico die during transportation
or within 80 days of arrival, although they
arc sent ON passenger steamers as quick
freight. The largest dealer in the United
States is New York man, in whose quar-
tiers l have seen 1000 green birds at one
time. 1t is an odd fact that there is
more active demand fCr parrots during
June, July and August than all the rest OF
the year together.
As soon as u new stock of birds is re-
ceived the dealer begins to train them at
once in certain ways. Each one is put into
n separate cage and tre2tcd individually.
They are fed and watcIed ut regular hours,
and when fed they uro always talked to,
and when we have any time TO spare we
arc naturally always encouraging them to
initiate, as the interest in parrots, even to
one who has handled them for !; lifetime,
never ceases. We always find u certain
amount of time every day to take the green
birds out of their cages and handle them
and accustom them to human company
We repeat the Same words over and over
so that we always have birds that can talk
a little.
They are very like children, and when
they once commence to talk they pick III
words very fast. OF course, in most birQ
stores, where all sorts OF pets are kept faF
sale, they hear u good many strange
sounds but u remarkable thing about
them is that when taken away to Il private
home they settle down naturally to talking
the few words they have been taught and
forget all the slrill noises they had begun
to take notice of. Some people Prefer an
utterly green parrot and take it home to
train up like II baby.
There used to be an old idea that all par
rots swore, and, us II matter Of fact, they
vii readily catch "cuss word, -" but they
heaF very few compared to the old d; vs..
when sailors HseQ to bring them over on
iopg voyages. Some Word3 are more diff
fcuit than others fUF u parrot 30 articui2te
But they seem to hnye no prefcrppGs and
will try to initiate any word they hcat.
Buyers are from every class and condition
of life. The only thing I've noticed Csr
pecially III 10 years is that people wEo buy
birds, and especially the greenest ones, uslI-
ally have no children, and ii parrot seems
to fill the bill; but, while bird will be- |
come very mach attached to some owners, |
he will not to others, and am frequently /
called on to exchange them on account of |
their "incompatibility." Then parrot |
will often become attached to certain menu
bcrs Of u household and will never allow
others of tho same family to approach him. !
He's queer bird, take him all round
Some birds 1--we wonderful clearness
OF memory, but cal, only retain n very few .
words. The average parrot vocabulary il +
from $50 to 300 words. and Il few NpndeP=
full birds have even retained az IHauy ha /,
500 words. A bird, Us IL usual thing, rs,
tains regular number, and cannot be
taught any moro new words after that
As u rule, parrots like women best and .
it's case where like begets like, for, rs a Z
rule, IL woman will take much more pains
to reur one than Il man will.-liochester .
Union and Advertiser.
I.;e silver half dollar was authorized |
April Q, 1893, and coinage vas begun In
1894