The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26
ARE MANY BIRDS
that GAN talk
But the Parrot Undoubtedly
Outranks All the Other
Feathered
lMl1ATORs OF MANKIND
The Red and yellow MacaW-The Par
son or TUT of New Zealand-The
"Magpie" of Australia
Other "Talkers."

London Express: AS one of the
judges at the Express parrot COM
petition, l had an opportunity Of not
Ing, not by any NEAR for the first
time, the extraordinary public interest
In talking birds, and also the capri
CiOusneSS of the familiar gray parrots,
which, although known to the be the
best takers, require patience in those
who want to hear them speak in COM
pany. Other parrots OF less repute are
often less shy, II sometimes speak as
wei, though undoubtedly intellectual
ability is Tar more general among the
gray birds. l remember, some ten
years ago, seeing at q bird show at Ok
ford a specimen OF the COMMON green
ring-necked parrakeet of India, which
continually talked during the exhibit
ZION.
Its voice was high and thin; but its
request, Waiter, bring Polly a pint Of
beer, quick! quick! quick" was unmis-
taxable in it's ~clearness. The bird was
@ hen and sex often seems to influence
the talking capacity of a parrot. A
hen red-and-yellow macaW in the CAL
cutta Geological gardens, which had
been received by exchange from the
london Zoo, used to say Come on,
Cocky!" With absolute perfection of
intonation, While her mate never said
a word. In India l also heard Of a spe-
cl1len OIL the naLlNe green p~alTakeel
which must have been an e~Xtraordt-
nary talker It's owner-a soldier
said that the bird (Which by the way,
he did not want to selD spoke English,
Hindustani and japanese. and picked
up fresh expressions so readily that he
was afraid to swear at the servants be-
fore it.
Indian Parrakeets.
The indian parakeets were those first
known To the 3ncipntS. and the hj,,1
which belonged to Corinna, the beloved
Of Ovid, has been immOrtaliZed by the
poet. 1t was, he said, more brilliant
green han emeralds, with saffron bin,
and its last words were, "Corinna, fare
WE'LL"
Another Roman parrot was, like our
fiscal friends, educated in politics, and
Is made to remark:
For other names your teachings may
avail,
I taught myself to utter Caesar, hail!'"
1t is a far cry, indeed, from ancient
Rome to modern New Zealand, but
from the latter country comes an anec-
dote Of a political bird whose utter
ance was very much TO the point. This
was not a parrot, but a tut, or parson-
bird. The tut is 4 large, honey-sucker
about as big as a missel-thrush with
lovely bronZe-black plumage, set off by
q pair Of white neck-tufts, recalling a
parsons hands. 1t is a clever mocker
and learns to speak.
This particular bird belonged to an
old chief, Nepia Tarato, whom, togeth-
err with many other natives, Sir Walter
Butler was once addressing on some
matter OF grave political import. The
naturalist politician who tells the story
against himself had only just finished
his speech when, before his master
could reply, the tut called out from
his cage overhead, Tito (false!) with
~ p, 10 re Il h1a npo1hocjc . + was too
much for the audience, and Nepia Tar
atoa himself, overcome with the rest,
laughingly remarked that Sir Walters
|, arguments were sound enough, but that
the bird was clever, and still uncon-
Tinced!
The Parson Bird.
The parson bird is a convincing proof
of the fact that birds do not talk with
!. their tongues, for, being 4 honeysucker.
) the tut has a long, eXtensible tongue,
with a fringed tip, as unlike the human
T tongue as possible. AS a matter of fact.
: a birds voice is formed in the syrinx,
? which is quote low down in the wind
t pipe, and therefore cannot have any
/ thing at all to do with its tongue in
. any case. OF other talking birds not
). Of the parrot family the most cele-
l brated is the Indian hill mynah, a large
: thickset starting, glossy back, with
a orange bill. In India, its native nome
7 i Is O1lCIl Ntpl do q PSAr any "a 4
t talks really well is a perfect wonder &c
q listen to.
The best l ever heard-in fact, the
: best talking bird Of any kline l have
: met-belonged to q friend in Calcutta
and spoke in an absolutely human way
y with a deep, throaty voice. lie re:
!, quired some coaXing before he would
display his talents, and the method EN-
g ployed was to get a native servant
= very good fellow, but of somewhat
! bibulous tastes-to talk to him. So thi:
: worthy would squat down, and repeat
= for he spoke English Well-the mynah'I
= own phrases to the bird. But the mynal
: would not say, WHO are you?" Il an
n off to London" or any other of his Sc
y phrases; Instead. he would, after
q While, come out with Not a drop t.
. save my SOUL" which sentence, whel
- once started, he would continue to re
peat at intervals with painful distinst
ness and apparent satisfaction.
~ Very D%isreputable.
a The owner Of this bird once had an
n other which spoke equally well-bu
IL far less respectfully. He had bought
as a talker, but in ignorance of the ex
tent of it's knowledge or the depth Q
its corruption, and when a lady cam
In to buy a talking mynah it wa
brought out for her inspection. If
were to repeat what that wicked my
Hall Sdlu ~ FCulO " IA - III DI1l1S
matron.
The mynah found a home, for tn
next person who wanted one-who hap
pened to be a legal practitioner-n
sooner heard the birds somewhat I'm
duly racy vocabulary thar he exclain
ed, That's the bird for mel" and cal
ried it off in triumph.
The house mynah of India, which
q neat brown bird with yellow legs an
habits much like our own starting is nc
so often heard Of as a talker, but
knew one very good one in Calcutta
which was particularly free and friend
ly in conversation. AS 500 as or
went to the cage it would commence
! bow in regular starting fashion and
! say, "Mynah, mynah, pretty mynat
d Call the dog! Jack, Jack, Jack!" a
very much in ole breath, n in a d.
cidedly high key.
Indeed, Of all talking birds this hal:
domestic creature is about the best II
a pet; it is very easy to keep. cam
bite like a parrot and gets so tan
u that 1t can be above to go about tt
house, and wen outside. with unclippe
ay wings.
Another good talker, which can be a
lowed liberty with less risk than tn
mynah. owing to it's greater size ar