The New York herald., 1922-07-09

Ac5o lAA-A-4 --AC ttAAJ CtACt AANkh-
bers of the so-caIled lower
kingdom. Miss Virginia Pope. the
bird specialist. insists that this
is true and she is an authority on
bird life. who. in discussing Darwin.
maintains that of all the forms Of
animal life the bird is nearest to
the human being at his best.
For twenty-five years Miss Pope
has lived among birds. She has ac-
commodation for 500 birds or families
Of birds at her hotel and sanitarium.
on Sixty-fifth street near Lincoln
Square. She has boarded them and
healed them and educated them. She
has set their broken legs and mended
their homesick hearts. She has
taught them to sing in tune and to
speak in the accents OF culture. She
has trained them in table manners
and reformed their characters. She
probably knows as much about the
habits and character of birds in cap
tivity as any one else in the world.
Birds Are Vain as Humans.
So Miss Pope tells us that birds
are like humans; that they are vain,
happy or unhappy. according to their
personal appearance They have the
housekeeping and house-caring in
stinct. they suffer from neglect and
loneliness. they think. they learn
quickly. they are sensitive and have
understanding. they have keen SYM
pathies- They have the same mall
aides as human beings and are cured
by the same means. They are ten
derly romantic
The habits Of human beings are
quickly adopted by them. One of
her parrots makes his own bed: sew
eral sew; they evince genuine sorrow
when they have done wrong and are
willing to reform: they initiate each
otEer: they have an intense love of
appreciation.
Coco the Cockatoo.
Coco. $1,000 Maiacca cockatoo.
Is as vain as a motion picture actor
IN his first starring season. When
visitors appear he calls loudly to at
tract attention. Then he spreads his
wide white wings. shakes his large.
heavily beaked head and loosens the
pink feathers OF his ruff from their
ueiehbors. Every one who sees him
show that huge pink circlet of
feathers says what every one else
has said, and Coco. after much shak-
Ing OF his ruff, waits for that re-
mark, What a beautiful bird," Hear
ing 1t. he chuckies low and stops his
preening. He has. Tom Sawyer-Iike,
shown off and is satisfied.
He has heard and understood Miss
Pope's remark: Coco is a Iinguist."
He proves II. He speaks in a voice
curiously low and soft. the reverse of
what one expects from a parrot.
How are you?" he inquiries in Span
tsh, then French. and the same in
Qutry comes in English with the
enguorous politeness of an Ethel
Barrymore
Coco is a desperate flirt. He
perches on the shoulder of a woman
visitor who is well gowned. He
revels in the silk or velvet response
Of her fashionabiy clad shoulder. He
presses his feathered head against
her cheek and murmurs Darling"
II Miss Pope or one of her assistants
cries -Fickle Coco" he laughs as
heartily as his breeding will permit.
Birds. Miss Pope regrets to say.
are as much inclined to gossip as
are human beings. One OF her
patrons brought a bird to stay for
the summer at the sanitarium. The
patron complained OF her husband.
~Bob's drunk again." she confided
fn tone OF disgust to the head of
the bird hotel The woman sailed
tor Europe. She returned in the au-
tumn. Miss Pope returned the star
ling to his home and remained to
lunch with his mistress and five of
her friends.
How is Bob" asked one Of the
friends.
Said the starting in a tone of pro-