The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-18
PATHS PARROT.
Lost From One Vessel, 1t Made 1t,
Way to Another

Lost From One Vessel, Ii Made It's
Way to Another.
London Letter in the Philadelphia Times.
The adventures of Nine. PATHS parrot,
KokO, form little chapter of great perils
to himself disconsolation and tears on the
part of his mistress and of curious coin
cidences touching the bird. owner and the
Samaritan of the seas who acts the grace
full part of rescuer.
In 1888 the firm of Abbey, Schoeffel &
Grau, theatrical spectators and manag-
ers, included in their various enterprises
tour with Nine Patti and a strong opera
company to Buenos Ayres, Montevideo
and Rio Marcus Mayer, business manag-
err went in advance, and on the royal mail
steamer Fagus formed the acquaintance
OF an African parrot, whose linguistic abil-
tiles elevated him to the distinction of be-
ing almost as poyglot as the accomplished
Mr. Mayer himself. Before leaving Eng
land Nine. Patti had commissioned the
agent TO procure for her any South Am
erlcan birds Of plumage or song that he
might meet with, and especially a half
dozen gayly feathered but by no means
musical macaws for which Brazil Is fam
Gus. The parrot was not included in any
spanish, Portuguese, French and English
"a few words at least, in all of them
and some ridiculous speech In the dialect
or the West India negroes justified his
purchase from the chief engineer of the
Fagus, and when Nine. Patti arrived at
the Hotel dEtranger, in Rio, Koko was
awaiting her in her apartments with the
greeting, Soy Koko-a deposition a ust-
ed"
Amid his more brilliant companions he
at first attracted but little attention, but
in few days possibly having heard his
mistress sing, he evnced his delight I'm
manner so fiattering that he was raised
| to the position of first faVorite. At Mon
| tevideo Senior Hora, the editor of the
| newspaper "El Espresso" gave Koko a
| gold collar inscribed in Spanish with the
| words: L am Koko the polyglot parrot
| or the Nicolini. I don't sing myself, but
there are angel voices In our family"
| wearing his collar as usual Koko was
! seated on his mistress shoulder one morn
| ing in the deck saloon of the homeward-
| bound steamship Ionic. The lee door of
| the saloon was open when some children
| threw open the one on the wlndward side
! and came In with rush that startled the
| bird from his perch. Unaccustomed to use
his wings, he was caught in the current OF
| wind and swept out of the saloon, and,
| despite his own endeaVors, in a moment
was over the side and adrlft in the north
| east trades For half an hour they watch
| ed him, until he became a black speck in
| the distance and finally disappeared This
| happened in the latter part of August, 1885
The next morning the sailors of the
| American bark Lapwing from Rio to Bal
timore found Koko In the mizzentop ex-
hausted and speechless, but, under the
care of Mrs. Startling, the captains wife,
| he recovered his vigor and voice. and
| since then until recently, has been
| going up and down the eller.
Some months ago, the Lapwng being at
sea on a voyage from the Chinese seas to
| New York, somewhere south of the Cape
of Good Hope, met an American whaler.
which asked for fresh provisions and news.
| boat was sent with the needed articles
| and the Whaler In exchange threw into 1t
a file of old New York Heralds for 1888
| They were all thumbed and worn, but
| Mrs. Startling, turning them carelessly
| over, caught the headline, Madame Pat
It's Koko lost at Sea" 1t formed a part
of cable dispatch from London. The cor
| respondent of that journal, having met
! Mr.. Abbey on his return home, had in
quired about the South American tour,
and had been told that It was success
full, with no greater mishap than the loss
! of madames faVorite parrot Koko, which
had been blown off the ship somewhere
| near the equator.
| Up to this time neither Capt. Startling
nor his wife knew to whom the bird be-
| longed for they had not associated the
| family name, Nicolini, engraved on the
birds collar with the one by which the
! great singer is known to the public. On
arriving at New York they easily learned
the whereabo of the great singer, and,
under the charge Of a friend of theirs
crossing on the Lucania last week. Koko
! finished the interrupted voyage to Eng
! land and was restoEed to his delighted mis-
! tresg,