The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-16
Talking Birds Live to Be Very
Aged Indeed.
CHICAGO BIRD FOUR SCORE
Can Talk Several Tongues Besides Mil
waukee Avenue-Some Other Birds
Which Have Attained Gar
rulous Old Age.

cupants of boarding house and other
neighbors, who said that the polly not
only kept them awake of nights but
distracted their nerves by day by its
continual chatter and croaking. The
police were in duty bound to maintain
! the peace in the vicinity and they paid
! an official visit to the home of the par
| rot. The complaint did not allege that
what the parrot was in the habit of
saying was Objectionable, but that its
| constant harping on the same theme
| was productive of fatigue
Il called down to see the bird my
self" said Inspector Hunt, and
| found it one of the most gentlemanly
| birds that ever wore feathers. Polly
! greeted me with a swell bow and
very polite good morning. | did not see
1t do anything out of the way and
| could only suggest to its owner that the
| bird be kept where it could not be
heard by the neighbors, and this was
| promised. Its remarks were all refined
and of the purest and best English
The only mistake the inspector made
was in the qualifying term he used in
| describing the department of the polly
which is a female bird. The lady vino
| owns the parrot was much disturbed
that her pet should have aroused the
displeasure of the neighbors, as never
before in it's long career had the slight
| est fault been found with its conduct
She said Polly had been willed to her
| over % years ago, and that from all the
| information she had the bird was near
ly, If not quite, 100 years old. But of its
| previous condition and servitude she
could not tell. All she knew was that
| while the bird had long past, it's con-
duct for the last quarter of a century
was all that could be expected of any
parrot.
alt l. hat
the parrot is the bird of all birds that
| takes the palm for longevity. The eagle
| is credited with the same endurance,
| but he will not last out the same
| stretch of years in captivity that the
parrot will. In Chicago there are many
| parrots that have passed the 30-year
mark and in bird markets are always
! to be found what the dealers call
| ''broncho' birds, or parrots that are
| trapped after they have attained their
| growth and whose ages are wrapped In
| uncertainty OF course, these birds can
never be taught anything in the con-
| versational line, nor do they ever be-
come tanned or accustomed to the So
ciety of the human kind. The Farwell
| family, on the north side, has poll
| they have had for As years, and 1t was
| an old bird when it came into their pos
session. 1t is a well-cared-for pet and
| is now in the country with the other
members of the household. 1t is
great favorite with the people of Lake
| Forest, where it receives all the homage
| that is accorded to old settlers.
| But the oldest parrot in Chicago and
| probably the oldest in captivity in the
| land is owned by w. r. Boerner, of 1162
| Milwaukee avenue. Hagenback, the
| animal man. had a parrot at the worlds
| fair. which he claimed was over CEN
| fury old. Mr.. Boerner does not claim
such great antiquity for his bird. JACKIE.
| but he does aver that it is somewhere
| between SO and Sc years old. Jacko Is
| what is known as double yellow head
| ed parrot of the Mexican variety He
| has been in the possession OF MI Boer-
! ner more than 80 years, and at the time
| of his purchase there was authenti-
| Gated proof that JACKIE was nearing the
| three-score mark. Although Jacko
| earlier history is not clear it is estab-
| lished that he was in the military line,
| for his pet phrases are all military COM
| mands, uttered in German, French ana
| Spanish. 1t is believed he was long
with the armies of different lands. Mr..
| Boerner is convinced that he was with
| the confederate army during the war
| of the rebellion, as he was equipped
| with a full rebel yell when he first
came North, shortly after 1865. During
| a long residence on Milwaukee avenue
| JACKIE forgot all the other tongues and
| latterly has confined his conversations
| to German. Out on the avenue JACKIE
picked up the names of all the streets
from hearing the car conductors, as
well as acquiring the general lingo of
| that thoroughfare. When he first came
| to Chicago he used to entertain his
| owner with snatches of a soldiers
| drinking song. limitations of camp calls
| and some very convincing oaths that
| could only have been picked up in mill
| tary circles. Jackos greatest delight
| was in parades. When one passed his
| perch he would sing out. Battalion
| march, shoulder arms!" and other
| commands, al in German, for Jacko
was not long in learning what was the
| language liable to receive the most at
tention in that part of the city.
| Will Davis has parrot which he be-
| leves to be 1000 years old, or even
| more ancient, but he draws his conclu-
| sions entirely from the remarks the
bird is in the habit of making, espe-
| cially when he is angry. The bird is,
| or was, the favorite pet of Jessie Bart
| lett Davis. They kept it down on the
| farm near Crown Point Ind. He is a
| Spanish parrot and voluble cuss, al
| though no one could translate his re.
| marks until recently. Mr.. Davis couli
| not keep him near Chicago, for he did
| not want the bird to pick UP any slang
| or swear words from the grips" or
| advance agents. He believed Omeletto,
| for that's the parrots name, model
| bird in all respects, although he had
| noticed that OmelettO, When he was let
| out of his cage. while he would pay nc
| attention to the Jersey cows or TIE
| Southdown mutton or the game chick
| ems or the geese or the other things
| that live and thrive on the Davis acres,
he would invariably hoist all sail and
| go off in immediate pursuit of any duck
| that hove in sight This made Mr.. and
| Mrs. Davis trifle suspicious, but their
| worst fears were confirmed few days
! ago, when they gave little party down
at the farm. Among the guests was
! Theodore Roberts. who, during a resi-
| dence in Arizona, had acquired
| knowledge of Spanish. Win took his
| guests to hear Omeletto make few
remarks. Mr.. Roberts translated them
| and now the Davis heirs has had the
| story of the Spanish language elimi-
| mated from his curriculum. What 1T.
Davis had always thought were choice
! quotations from Cervantes turned out