Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-10
PATHS PARROT.
Lest From One Vessel. In Mid-Ocear, 10
Made Its Way 90 Another.

tears on the part of his mistress and
of curious condolences touching the
bird, owner and the Samaritan Of the
seas who acts the graceful part of res
cuer.
In 1888 the firm OF Abbey. Schoelfel
| & Grau, theatrical spectators and
| managers, included in their various
enterprises a tour with Nine. Patti aud
n strong opera company to Buenos
Ayres, Montevideo and Rio. Marcus
Mayer, business manager, went ont in
advance, and on the royal mail steamer
Fagus formed the acquaintance of an
African parrot, whose linguistic abili.
ties elevated him TO the distinction of
being almost as polyglotas the accom-.
plished Mr.. Mayer himself. Before
leaving England Nine. Patti had COM
missioned the agent to procure for her
any South American birds of plumage
or song that he might meet with, and
especially half-doZen of the gayly
feathered but by no means musical
macaws, for which Brazil is famous.
The parrot was not included in any Of
the specifications, but his ready use Of
Spanish, Portuguese, French and Eng.
lish II few words, at least, in all Of
them-and some ridiculous speech in
the dialect OF the West India natives
justified his purchase from the chief
engineer of the Fagus, and when Nine.
Patti arrived at the Hotel d'Etranger,
in Rio, Koko was awaiting her in her
apartments with the greeting, ",Soy
Koko-a disposition a listed"
Amid his more brilliant companions
he at first attracted but little attention,
but in few days, possibly having
heard his mistress sing, he eyinced his
delight in manner so hattering that
he was raised to the position of first
favoritc. AT Montevideo Senior Hora,
the editor of the newspaper, FL Ex-
presso, gave Koko gold collar, in
scribed in Spanish with the words: ~
am Koko, the polyglot parrot of the
Nicolini. l don't sing myself, but
there are angel voices in our family"
Wearing his collar as usual. Koko
was seated OH his mistress's shoulder
one morning in the deck saloon of the
homeward-bound steamship Ionic.
The lee door of the saloon was open,
when some children threw oren the
one on the windward 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 adrift
-in-ths. aarthsast trades-.-rEar -l,siff- an
hour they watched him, until he be.
came black speck in the distance
and finally disappeared. This hap
pened in the latter part of August,
1888.
The next morning the sailors of the
American bark Lapwing, from Rio to
Baltimore, found koko in the mizzen-
top exhausted and speeches., but,
under the care of Mrs. Startling, the
captains wife, he recovered his vigor
and voice, and since then until recent
ly, has been going up and down the
South American coast with his new
mistress. Some months ago the Lap
wing being at sea on 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. A boat
was sent with the needed articles, and
the whaler in exchange threw into it
file Of old New York Heralds for 1883.
They were oil thumbed and worn, but
Mrs. Startling, turning them carelessly
over, caught the headline, madame
PATHS Koko Lost at Sea-" 1t formed
part OF cable dispatch from London.
The correspondent OF that journal,
having met Mr. Abbey on his return
home, had inquired about the South
American tour, and had been told that
it was successful, with no greater mis-
hap than the loss Of Msdame's favorite
parrot Koko, which had been blown
off the ship somewhere near the equa.
tor.
Up to this time neither Captain
Startling nor his wife knew to whom
the bird belonged, 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 where
about of the great singer, and, under
the charge of friend Of theirs
crossing on the Lucanis, Koko
finished the interrupted voyage to
England and was restored to his de-
lighted mistress. London Letter in
Philadelphia Times.