The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-18
Educated Worcester
Bird That $500
Couldn't Buy.
GIRES ALL THE DUGLE CALLS.
Spells Like a First Grade
Pupil in a Public
School.

owners of the parrots are not unlike
fond parents in the belief that his or
her particular possession is easily be-
yond comparison for intelligence and
all-round excellence.
Mrs. H. B. Case, 1853 Chandler street,
opinion her African parrot, Bppo, is
about the finest bird that ever came
from tropical climes to grace a cage
and to learn the ways of civilization,
and in her belief she is not alone.
Every visitor that has seen and
heard the bird is amazed at his mar
Vicious show of intelligence, that, at
times, displays little short of reason
| ing power and ability to think equal
with that of the average child of four
or five years. Bippo long ago gave up
mere senseless repetition of hackneyed
phrases and WORKOUT expressions of
the ordinary bird, in favor of pointed
remarks that clearly indicate that the
wonderful fellow associates his words
with ideas and objects.
Bippo came from Africa little over
three years ago aQd was purchased by
Mrs. Case for a few dollars. Recently
she refused $500 for the bird. He is
gaudily plumed and, like Joseph, wears
coat of many colors. He is of a deep
and rich buff color, shaded in a vari-
! ETY. of tints from head to the tip of his
broad wings. His tail is of the bright
/ est red throughout. He is beautiful
| and he knows it; therefore, he is a
dude of parrots and is exactingly care
! full of his toilet. He plumes himself
daily; and from the feathers that the
fastidious bird believes no longer be-
! coming, therefore useless, Mrs. Case
has made a large fan of marvellous
! beauty.
| When Bippo came into Mrs. Cases
hands for education she knew exactly
| how to go to work about it, for she
| has had experience with parrots be-
! fore. Bippo was consigned to the dark
/ for his first lessons, that nothing might
detract his attention from the business
/ in hand. He showed an immediate
fondness for talking and began to
learn words and phrases with surpris-
ling readiness. Although his mastery
| of the English language Is now the
wonder of all who hear him, Bippo is
at present learning more rapidly than
ever before and gives every promise of
| becoming a world beater in his own
particular line.
Bippo is a bashful fellow and not in
clined to exploit his accomplishments
before strangers; therefore, when The
Spy man made him visit and tried
to cajole him into friendly relations,
Bippo coolly informed the pencil push
ler that he was not wanted in that Vici-
nifty, by the advice to Go home!' This
command was not needed, and when
the visitor approached him and put his
finger in the vicinity of a massive bill
that looked powerful enough to bite
the corner off a brick Bippo warned
him to BE careful" Not until the
scribe was concealed in an adjoining
room did the bird overcome his shyness
and go through his PAGES.
The remarkable thing about the bird
lis his almost human intonation and in
Election. He -sedulously shuns mere
repetition In a mechanical way, but
speaks what he has to say meaningly
and at the right time. When horse
passes in the street he crooks his neck
and shouts Whoa" as naturally as g
hostler. He whistles through the win
dow at every dog that passes in the
street, and has more than once caused
his victim to stop and look around toi
the man that called him. When he
does what he knows is wrong, he gives
himself a sharp admonition to stop it
| Bippo easel" The bird distinguishes
1.-THE difference between a boy and a
girl as he sees one or another in the
street, and calls out Hello, little boy
or go home. little girl; your mother
wants you"
The pet of the household when Bippc
came into the home was fat pug
called Blossom, and the bird and the
dog were fast friends. A year age
the pug slipped off the mortal coil, and
since Bippo has mourned her loss as
faithfully as ever Indian nader
mourned the buck that persisted on the
warpath Frequently the bird recalls
the death of his chum with the lament
Blossoms gone; poor Blossom!" ano
then follows a wall of sorrow like
child crying.
The bird spells out "d-o-g-dog," andd
I"c-a-t-cat." like any first grade pupil
in the public school
During the visit Of The Spy mar
Bippo was unusually laxative ano
said perhaps one-half of his vocabulary
Here are some of his sayings: come
hack, Blossom Case: Want to wash
up; stop your noise!"; Can't you
sing?"; GO get cracker - dear
| mammals pretty littleboy Where arr
you going now?"; Hello; come mere
quick; "Peek a-boo!": kiss your
mamma, Bippo"; Come, Papa Case;
Want some SUPERB; Mamma,
pretty boy; whoa! Jim; back up!
and a score of others, Bippo shlVers II
his cage and informs his mistress Wher
he is of the opinion that the tempera-
ture is not up to standard, by a chilly
remark that TT is cold"
The greatest of the marvellous pliu
accomplishments is his ability IN the
whistling line He gives all the prOml-
nent bugle calls with unfailing ac-
curacy. His fondness for music Is now
being fostered, by hiring a street piano
! to draw up near the window dedicated
/ to Bippo, and he listens attenuVely
while the whole gamut Of tunes IS pc
/ ing reeled off. In this manner he has
! learned to whistle "Over the garden
wall" and Just one girl without
sounding a false note. He mas
snatches of all the popular songs as
played from the street pianos, and
! seems just now absorbed in the study
I of music. He is fastidious in the mat
/ ter of diet, and the proverbial cracker
is his principal article of diet. In the
afternoon he begins calling for his
rations, and when a cracker is placed
within his cage, he refuses to eat With
/ out company He commands Mrs. Case
| to go get your tea" and when he is
satisfied that she is sharing his meal
/ he eats. This is a daily performance
I of the bird. and where he conceived
/ the notion of insisting on this manner
of procedure can not be guessed.
| Bippo, unlike the ordinary parrot
| does not swear and has no inclination
toward becoming proficient in pro-
| family. Only one word not sanctioned
by the arbiters of the proper thing
ever escapes his bill, and that rarely.
He is full of surprises and is constantly
picking up new sayings. Frequently
| he comes out with some appropriate
remark that was believed to have been