The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-20
MEXICAN PARROT CATCHERS.
TROUBLES PltED N
GETTING THE IOt w BIRDS.
Danger and Discomfort of . Hunt tn the
jungle ~ Psrrot Camp The Neylcan
tolorcd Parrots and the African GRAY.
Jealous, q MARI ed Trait of Inc Biro,

"a ANU FAlNAflfNi Nv llNNHl fIHh NIX At.
scresching Of the green and yellow ta-
rots that rivalled oven the cananc, d..
number
I've just bought a big consignment, .
parrots" said the proprietor 81 the .U.r
i don't know whether Ne can ~al all 90
them. but tho market has been good. and
7 got the birds 20 cheap that ! can rg'
selling price on them
Where did you get them askci a SIX
reporter.
On. they are Mexican parrot. ial
could cell tina at a glance II yYu knew
anything about birds. We handle ,er-
few parrots Of any other sort. Ihp AfrD,n
grays are the finest variety IN the mara.
but Il Isn't easy 20 get them.
A good African gray Is worth '.-n
SIS 70 90 and more. There aren't many
persons who wan 10 ray thai for a par-u.
\ Mexican yellow crown Nrlls for from
s.? to go, INC after all, 7 don : know Doe.
that q l. a. desirable ~ - swell ,oa..
The African bird il more iu'allsor',
bat n IA slower about learning o., -r.a.
ard 1t cant whistle like the Mc1Ictu plfr.
There are a good many kinds of Jan...
IN M"Nioo Some 81 them ar NHIy ,...r.
im' the parrot catchers VII" supply 'Is
A~~A lldAf ohf T tllFu bI'NfI VIII lNfM
l. doesn't Idy.
A very decent gr""n parrot with O r,i
crown comes up from Mexico. bot -a
dom handle h. for II ISM 90 l." oumpar-i
20 this green bird, with the yellow bead
and the rod shoulder strap
There w"r" 27j parrots 90 the la' f..m
which | bought thes". ami they r.prs-
scu'ed about thrs-, months WI. f.r
IN. f..aNanaI turr.H ,.F.Har
they were worth n pos ihl" 81 a..t' f.
him. but out o' that b" had 20 pa. '.
Is'"ns. hi doukcvs. his h,ing '1f-n-r
and transportation 10 New forA. o.. ...r.
wasn't such = tr"mcuduou- uIr,.
profit lcf' OUT Of the $500
Tn" profits ought 70 T." bc would.
e. into the business n unvun" would rt.
me a dollar n minlt" Tor q. iA- ta-
parrot country IL along Ia Gnu Rive.
down 10 tho province II 1amauhpa.
kinds ~ tropical bird AMI beasts A..
reptiles ar" thicker down 'I"ro than mos
quitue- ar" Iu JERSEY H.. spId Wug.o
and swamp The Traveller take his ,ruiu,
81 being eaten by red ant, ur uitt"n b,
deadly snakes. or dying u' fewer. The
parrot catcher adds a ChGu," G. b.I'g
murdered by his I"or.
When %" starts 'gI uu hts hunt. l." IUNs
Ave or six burrus To- TAX" with MIN Then
he goes To some one cd rh, iuriuru hayirudas
and buy five 81 ~N Us.i- You huow
~ w "a N'A N".NAH ~ f'"a .. 'A . '-'"
He only a degree above q Digger Indian
He u 80 shiftl->- and tguotaI' aiu
improvident that uc alvavs goes lcsl
over heels into debt, anu tls"u I' Lac foo
work the debt Of. ro be- b. practically .
slave. The hacienda owner won't i't
the poems 60 unless tho parrot catcher
paws what thew oWr He paws u. for hu
has 10 have them. No other class ~ peopi"
would do his work. To all iui"nts aHu
purposes. they are his property.
He AfHFfa into the NInHte with f.HM
comforts are tremendous lie has to t~rr
an eye on the poems constantly lL'F
are absolutely without morale vii! steal
everything within sight. he like truopo!s
and murder al the drop 81 THE la.
Its natural enough that he poor Great
ures are what they are They've never
had n chance. and they are treated lk"
hru,es. but parrot men have toic ne that
under present conditions " Is iiapussiO,"
90 treat them IN any other way The"
don't understand anything except ior0'
and hard treatment ard they can't D."
relied upon for "A moment
Nav II ia" nesting time 'of parrots, ~
rather IL would be. II the bird had uo-'-
They don't. The female parro' lave De-
eggS H. a high notch Of a 'ree, and n" NuIuE
are hatched out in the latter par of june.
but the parrot catcher nusni ak" then
until three or four weeks later. They
are not strong enough 20 stand removal
before then. When the ~ TN" comes
the hunt hegins
The old birds are very clever about
keeping their Young ones hidden. hut az
feeding time in the early morning and LATE
evening there l. a great ciuckiug ami
I" hunters h~i"i ''f ih".
and when thcv hear IL iu q tr"" t'"y k0n"
they have found what they want
The master sends one Of ~" p"onS IN
the tree. There j. where aiN MAJ siN"
a Mexican peon would bah III" parrot
catcher himself wouldn't, Tor any money,
tackle thar part Of he Job IN" 'r'"~
arc infested ny -. MEXICAN ants. and ih''
say there i,u't any thing IN Mexico tia
j. a warmer proposition than the red nh
They move Ia sohd hattalious nd ihcv
everything IN their PAIN Nhch
penn starts up the tree the ants atts,t
him. and I've been told that II Is nothing
for q poor fellow 10 come lmohus
tearing az himself and covered with blood
He mako~ for the nearest water, i'f
drowning i the only thing that will make
the ante stop their ravages. LuckI,'.
parrots always hIrri ~ tho vic nifty %
The parro, catcher Seud- tn" re''
up the tree or macs another t.k" Pm"
place and the poor wrctChc- vel Tor m"r'''
but have To ~.
-TLcv never trv 90 capture old birds,
r'r !, i almost impossible go teach az OIL
Wild parrot ANYTHING hut they gc' ih-
birds. and 'he-" rarely make an
'Hprt to CSCaIs', after the m AoN. iI'
aren't even kept In cuOIs, a. '"ev
,re collcCtcd. but are put together undcra
Of roof and not restrained ~ any WAY
-Som"iimeS thew Nil hn several hundred
'Nri- he one ~ tho" parrot camps, lui
nov are vuiet and tanl" y chef dlN-
ul.v = 10 Keeping snake ou' 81 ~" camp
,ud -om.'imcs. Md animals break in
y night and make hsvor with IN" birds.
~ usually The ann - Watched ton closely
or acclden'
The hunter l-rsta the %ruun'I", until 10
a. large q catch ~ h" VsI'- Ur uu'n
80 SEASON - over Nnru 'h' rs>ons are
H,f h.nituG. 'l'N a.. voarI"g 'II wicker
,vupS which arr tiled with rsrrHt- and
her 81 trapped on the hNirrr. l7rt There
a q long ti-r-rn'o overland luurrcv 20
To- ucar->' station p N 'h"rr. tn" hlrus
Irr s"u' to lampioo ard, FROM iu"r', 10
>"v N,rh
Tn" 'arr.' catcher u~uali 'sA's hs
'"pu- and hutr,- AMI gu-~ hacN q" hunt
nuckiug biris. Whu-" -oasr' hcCia~ iu-t
bout th" time when 'lc parfo' season
ud- "" g. "a" parrots and s'll them.
ID H'"r fhH country. ard within a few
they az swearing m Euglsh as
~ % iI"v uai l~"n horn 'u =
.s ',f'~i .aud
~,m" u' a-iH !.tru moro thar ,'tnrs.
I"rr'- ~ much dtTo'croc .U 'h".r brains
.- . H..a. "a. wL HHH. a. -rNa 49, 100. 800