The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-02

living by collecting the young birds every
spring. They climb the trees and take
the redgiings from the nests The young
birds have 10 be tenderly handled. being
little larger than sparrows. and are hand
led on boiled rice and maize. They are
shipped 10 US before they are able 10 take
care Of themselves. The parent birds
viii sometimes fight when their nests are
being robbed They are strong. and an
OLD bird can take a mans finger on.
The principal market is Tampico, and
probably 500 birds are shipped from there
annually 10 various parts Of the world.
More than half OF them come TO this
country The natives get an average OF
y cents apiece for the young birds in
Tampico. the 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.
'Iampico is visited every spring by buy
ers from the United States. representing
the principal dealers I'm parrots who
are located IN New York city. Baltimore,
New Orleans, Boston, and Philadelphia.
There Is no combination among the buy
ers or dealers. Each one buys on his
own account, and stays until the season
is over.
The young birds are shipped in large
wooden crates. from 90 to 100 in each
crate. They are showed in like poultry,
and a good many Of them die on the
passage Fully 30 per cent of the birds
mat leave TampicO die during Transport
although they are sent on passenger
steamers as quick freight The largest
dealer in the United States is a New
Aork man. in whose quarters l have
seen 100 green birds at one time 1t Is
an odd fact that there is a more active
demand for parrots during June. July and
August than all the rest of the year to-
gether.
As soon as a new stock of birds is re-
celVed the dealer begins to train them at
once In certain ways. Each one is put into
a separate cage and treated individually.
Ihey are fed and watered at regular
hours and when fed they are always talk
ed to; and when we have any time to spare
we are naturally always encoura ging
them TO Initiate, as the interest in par
Lots, even to one who has handled them
Ior a ntetime, never ceases. We always
ma certain amount of time every day
TO take the green birds out of their cages
ana handle them and accustom them to
human company. We repeat the same
words over and over. so that we always
nave birds that can talk a little.
Ihey are very like children, and when
lhey once commence to talk they pick up
words very fast. OF course, in most bird
stores, where all sorts of pets are kept
Tor sale, they hear a good many strange
sounds, but a remarkable thing about
them is that when taken away to a pri-
Vate home they settle down naturally to
talking the few words they have been
taught and forget all the shrill noises
they mad begun to take notice of. Some
people prefer an utterly green parrot and
take 1t home to train up like a baby
There used to be an old idea that all
parrots sWore, and, as a matter of fact.
they will readily catch a 'cuss word but
they hear very few compared to the old
days, when sailors used to bring them over
ON long voyages. Some words are more
difficult than others for a parrot to artic-
ulate. But they seem to have no prefer
ehce, ana viii try to initiate any word
they near. Buyers are from every class
and condition in life. The only thing I've
noticed specially in fifteen years is that
people who buy birds, and especially the
greenest ones, usually have no children,
and parrot seems to I'LL the bill: but
while bird will become very much at
tached to some owners, he will not to
others, and l am frequently called on TO
exchange them on account OF incompati-
bllity' Then parrot will often become
attached TO certain members of house
hold and will never allow others of the
same family to approach him He's a
queer bird, take him all around
Some birds have a wonderful clearness
of memory, but can only retain a very few
words The average parrots vocabulary
IS from $50 to 300 words, and a few won
derful birds have even retained as many
as 800 words, A bird as a usual thing re-
tains regular number, and cannot be
taught any more new words after that
AS rule, parrots like women best, and
it's case where like begets like, for, as
rule, woman will take much more pains
to rear one than man will"