The evening times., 1897-01-14
INXAEXXXZZXXXS w

The parrot is an African gray, about the
size of common pigeon. Itcan now speak
fifty sentences. II receives regular inst rue
tion Already it knows the hour for its
lesson. Several hours a day are deyotedtu
its instruction and it has become an apt
pupil.
The value OF such birds naturally in
creases with its education, and Mr.. Holden
now adjudges his bird to be worth some
thing like 5000. Lawyers and doctors,
bird dealers say, take great delight in the
parrot, which is, perhaps, due TO the fact
that their vacations confine them to the
house. A good parrot can always be re-
lied upon TO furnish diversion. Some
doctors prescribe parrots as a remedy for a
person suffering from the blues.
"A few days ago" Mr.. Holden said, "a
man Came u me who, at a glance, l knew
was suffering from overwork and nerv-
BUSINESS. Excessive worry, he said, had
worn him out. Asa cure for this hewanted
me 10 pick him out a good parrot. He
came at the advice OF physician OF high
standing, who told him that parrot would
do more for him than all the medicine he
could give him. | got him a pretty good
one-one that could talk. Soon after this
met him again, and he couldn't say enough
about that parrot. The droll Jokes which
had spent a long while in teaching To the
bird were got off somehow just at the OPP
perfume moment. and with the result that
the man braced mp and was soon all right"
Parrots have been purchased to cure a
person OF the habit of swearing. The par
rots have been far more proficient in this
direction than the proverbial trooper.
Every remark they made would be pune
tuated with oathS. The patients hearing
them. in a majority of cases, have become
Disguised, seen the folly Of his ways and
reformed Such parrot as this is turned
out OF the house after accomplishing its
purpose, as its language is intolerable.
The African grays come from West and
Central Africa. They are brought over
either by steamers or direct in sailing
vessels. The latter means of transporting
them, strange to say. is the preferable.
During the long voyage over the birds get
acclimated, and on reaching America they
are not nearly 80 liable to ckncss as birds
brought overiu the steamers. Those brought
over in the sailing vessels alsor receive better
care and get accustomed TO human society
by being brought into contact with the
crew constantly. Some parrots are bright.
others more stupid, but the average parrot
learns quickly if it has a good teacher.
More, indeed, depends upon the teacher
than upon the pupil. good parrot can
talk some in -four or five months The grays
take longer, but when they do they ad-
vance much more rapidly. A singular thing
about parrots and their instruction is the
time ofday at which they ycan be taught most
satisfactorily.
Persons who have made special study
of parrots have discovered that if taught
during the three hours after sunrise, or
the three just before sunset, much less time
is required to instruct them, and what is
taught is much more readily retained. Mr.
Holden, in his book on birds, lays down the
following general rules for the instruction
of parrots. The parrot, he says, should
he taught just as one would teach child,
line upon line. precept upon precept
Il have known Children he says, ''to
give from six months to a year to long di-
vision, and not understand it well then,
and it may take the parrot that time or
even longer 10 commit to memory the SEN
tences, The Lord is my shepherd Mary
had little lamb or a list OF oaths In
pitched on rather high key. In teaching
or training a parrot the best method to
pursue is to let the bird remain apparently
Unnoticed for two weeks after its purchase
AT he end of that time the bird Will sho W
an inclination to be friendly, and its in
struction should at once commence
Besides the gray parrot, a variety of green
parrots are Gagged in America. They are
more expensive. They are better singers
than their African rivals, and are very fine
takers.
Besides ,lsposing of the birds which he
imports, the bird dealer is generally versed
in the treatment of their diseases, and his !
services are often required. The common
Gagged birds are subject to many diseases. |
Indeed. i'm many things they resemble hui
man beings. An example of this is bird |
suffering from nervous prostration The
treatment for this is almost identical with |
that generally prescribed by a physician
attending person suffering from the |
same malady. The bird is sent to a private
sanitarium, where there is absolute quiet |
The leading bird stores generally have one |
of these. 1t is situated a distance from
the store, and in many ways resembles a |
hospital. There the birds dietis looked to. |