Evening star., 1896-03-14
STORY OF A PARROT.
1t Cared for Q A1Otherless Brood Of
Chickens.

IL Cared for Q MOtherless Brood Of
Chickens.
From the New York Times.
A really remarkable parrot story comes
directly from the owLer Of the bird.
Last spring." says the veracious wo-
man, wht Sc home is in the suburbs, my
children were presented by q neighbor with
hen and brood of chickens. The hen was
placed in the usual SLATED box on the sun
| ny lawn at the rear Of the house, and the
little animated balls Of yellow down ran
about at will in front of it. They were
frequently watched by Jim, a pet parrot,
| whose cage was often on the same patch Of
turf. One day, by an accident, the hen
coop was overturned, and the unfortunate
mother caught In 1t in such a way as to be
stransled The suddenly made orphans, so
long as the hen lay there before them, kept
up their visits to her neighborhood, but
when, not long after the happening, she
was removed and the coop set up again, it
evidently Ii no. attractions for them
we were rather concerned as to what to
DO with the little chicks, thus deprived
OF their natural protector, but we need
not have peen. When they found no one
to answer the d:sconsolate peep peepr at
the same place, they looked about for an
other home. The open door of Jim's cage
attracted them, and presently one of the
boldest, after coquetting about the door for
several minutes. ventUred in Jim, on his
perch, watched the intruder with a slanting
eye That we d!strusted, but we I'D the bird
great Injustice He remained motionlcss,
eS;ct , aedrI1i TO cause alarm while the
chlck pecked at various bits of food litter
ing the floor of the cage Encouraged by
tEe evident success of this pioneer work
the otner chicks approached, and at last
every one or them got inside, finishing ev-
cry eatablG scrap they found. Jim, mean
"hiIe. sat like malachite statue on his
rerch APPARENTLY unconscious of what was
gc!Eg on, though we could see that nothin.,
| n ole
the chicks had devourcl all they could
ma, they went le'sureiy out We took the
nint anc put water an! food for them IN
Jim 8 cage, and all the afternoon they made
themselves entirely at honle Jim got over
MS rig.dtty and seemed to enjoy the III
vas; on or his castle. He called them sew
ei,ao,i eIao i,nes with perfect imitation of the
ciGcking OF hen. and the chicks fnvar:-
ably responded. AS night auproac ched they
went contentelly to the cage and crouched
down on the floor to sleec. Jim didn't
quite Know what was expected c! him then
hut ne acted according to his lights. He
settled himself his lowest perch and
coaxed two or three chicks ~ hes: de him
encouraging them in their efforts TO roost.
In lew nights he had the whole brood
rocst:nS In the cage as conteate,,Iy as
iney mad ever done under their mothers
wing. FROM tbs time until they were well
grown Jirs quarters were theirs ard
thCush fe Lever went out to scratch food
lot tnem ne saw his larder daily eaten
bare by his vorac;ous adopted family with
out q protest
when they were big. long-legged chick
ems, he evidently decided one DAY that the
time Tor protection and hospitality was
past. They were bigger than himself and
quito able TO look after themselves, and he
iofc.blJ :nt:maied that they must do So by
driVins them out of the cage and refusing
thereafter to permit one of them to cross
lis threshold. TO prove that his previous
conduct had been voluntary, and not in
sp:red by any sense of MS inability to core
with the invading army, not a mouthful
OF food or sip of water could these chick
ems get from his domain after he had un-
dertaken to prevent them. Altogether we
regarded it as a very curious and interest
ing eXrerien,e"