The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-16
THE PARROT, A SOCIAL PET.
How to Select, Feed and Train This
Wonderful Bird.

How to Select, Feed and Train This
Wonderful Bird.
Very frequently we hear the remark
that animal pets are almost human
and do everything but talk but after
some unusual display of intelligence,
the owner of a favorite horse or dog
would give almost anything he pos
sessed if the dumb friend might
speak.
1t is the ability to talk that, in a
large measure accounts for the popu-
larity of the only other living talking
thing besides man, the parrot. This is
not strictly true, as both magpies and
Indian mynahs talk,
The parrot is easily domesticated,
being quiet and contented in confne-
ment, which, in addition to its attrac-
tive plumage and interesting imita
tons, makes it an ideal pet, but ow-
ing to fault in their owners, about SO
in every 100 are voted an internal NUS
ance by the residents of the neighbor-
hood where a parrot is harbored.
A bird of this kind is a bowling re-
Duke to the carelessness of its owner,
who has so Wofully neglected its ed
ucation. To be sure, There is a great
difference in parrots, but the teachers
vary far more than the birds do-No
other pet is so long lived, and it there
fore deserves the most careful and
painstaking training. Parrots learn to
talk with about the same teaching as
babies. After repeating a word for a
few weeks to an infant. a feeble at
tempt is made at pronunciation, to the
great delight and encouragement of
the mother. This is the way a parrot
is successfully taught. Once properly
started, the education may be carried
on continuously, giving almost I'M
limited possibilities.
Where Parrots Come From.
Parrots are natives of America. The
gray parrot is native of Africa, i'm
ported into this aeauptryt5in considera-
bic quantities. but owing to their
treatment on the voyage, as we'll as
change of climate, very few survive
many weeks after landing. The gray
parrot is expensive, always in demand
| and can, l believe, be raised in cap
tivity in our Southern states, if prop
erly handled. There is an interesting
and profitable business in this sug-
gestion for any one able to invest suf-
| sicient capital to build suitable avia-
RES. Australian she'll parakeets have
been bred in Belgium and gray par
rots have been raised in England, while
the climate conditions in our Southern
states is quite similar to their Afri-
| can home.
When this country was discovered
natives were found with domesticated
parrots. Columbus, on his return vow
age took parrots with him and tame
parrots have been common with the
natives of India from time immemor-
ial, where they were held sacred on
account of their ability to initiate the
human voice. They were known to the
Romans at least so years before Christ
and were considered a great luxury as
an article of food, their value about
Parrots as Food.
To-day we would about as soon think
of eating human being as a parrot.
but there is no reason. other than SEN
timent, Why they should not be used
for food Gf it were necessary to eat
such an interesting animaD. as they
live exclusively on seeds and fruits TAX
ing nothing that is unclean, which can
not be said of some of our food supply
fish, for example. Once a foreigner
unacquainted with this particular bird.
as mark of especial esteem, was pre-