Year: 1869

| THERE was once a Poll Parrot who
loved to pick chicken-bones. She would
sit upon the back of a chair, holding on
! by one claw, while she grasped a chicken


bone with the other; and then she looked


very much as if she were playing a flute.


Kitty liked chicken-bones, too; and
whenever she saw Polly enjoying one, she
| always thought that she ought to have it
herself She was sly puss, and at last
she thought of way to get POlly's bone
from her without being bitten by her
strong, black beak.


Polly had violent temper, so that
when she was angry she did not know
what she was about. Kitty made the most
of this. She would Jump up into the seat
of the chair upon the back of which Polly
was sitting with her bone. Then, watch
ing her chance, Kitty would raise her paw
| and gently tap the end of her bone.
Polly would get into great rage at
| once; she would scream out, and try to
bite Kitty, and this would make Polly
drop the bone. Then Kitty would quietly
Jump down after the bone, and scamper
off with it. Wasn't she a sly Kitty?
Polly had a grudge against Kitty for
getting her chicken-bones. So one day,
when she saw Kitty lying sound asleep
on the kitchen-foor, with her tail straight
out behind her, she climbed down from her
cage.


Waddling across the room to where Kitty
was peacefully sleeping, Polly seized her
tail in her beak She bit pretty hard, and
Kitty gave piteous naeoc, and fled from
the kitchen.


III.


After Kitty had had her tail bitten, she
never went to sleep in the kitchen with
out keeping one eye open to watch Polly.


Polly would start for Kitty's tail, but as
it took her long time to walk across the
floor, Kitty would lie quite still and take
nap until Polly had reached her; then
Kitty would jump up and run to the other
end of the room.


Kitty would then lie down and calmly
watch Polly waddle back after her, only
to have Kitty again Jump up and run back
Just where she was before.


Polly would scream and bob her head
up and down in a great rage but she never
seemed to make up her mind that she
could not catch Kitty. Polly would keep
waddling back and forth after Kitty for
an hour at time; and 1 really believe
Kitty enjoyed it as very:good joke.


1t was funny to hear Polly scold her
self She liked to get up on the window
seat and rap with her beak on the pane;
but we were afraid she would break it; so
we always scolded her when she did so;
and at last she learned to scold herself.


This is the way she would go on: Rap,
rap, rap; Naughty Polly, naughty Pol
lyi' Rap, rap, rap; Naughty Pollyi"
Rap; Naughty, naughty Pollyp Rap,
rap, rap, rap, lap; Naughty, naughty,
naughty, naughty Pollyr'


We could always tell when she was
e,o;>- :->.e .i~ 1;-,;-,cs -oo.,,. whore she WAS
through the hall, she would call out. "Go
back, Polly; go backl"


Once Polly climbed idto a neighbor's
pantry window, and began picking TO
pieces some bread and vegetables that
had been laid on the shelf, ready for din
ner.


The folks found out that she was there,
but did not dare touch her, for fear of be-
ing bitten. They sent over for one of US
to come after her; but by the time we
arrived, the nice slices of bread were all
crumbled, and the lettuce was all bitten
and torn.


Polly was sometimes very loving, espc-
cially to my sister Anna. Anna would
take her, and hug her close up TO her
bosom. Polly would spread her wings,
and make a cooling sound.


At these times she was as gentle as 4
dove; but, when her anger was aroused,
woe to the incautious hand that APP
preached her Lucky for that hand if 1t
were not bitten to the .bone.-1he
Nursery.