SPEAKING BIRDS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 651, 14 March 1914, Page 7

SPEAKING BIRDS.

DO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY SAY ? It is a matter of considerable dispute as to whether speaking birds do understand what they say. And really the appropriate remarks they sometimes make at the right time make one feel very much inclined to believe that they do. Here are some instances wh'ich can be vouched for. A lady entered a room, and ill a large cage on the table a beautiful parrot was eyeing - with suspicion all who came near. "Oh, what a beautiful bird ! Pretty Polly !" said the lady, approaching the bird. ' ; ' li' you come near me I'll box your ears !" was!the unexpected, and certainly un-called-for rejoinder.

Hardly less laughable was the parrot who reproved its mistress for giving way to undue passion. The mistress had just cleaned out the cage, when the bird upset its seed and made a mess with its water. "Oh, you ungrateful bird, you : after I have cleaned your cage so v nieely !" exclaimed the lady, not a little annoyed that all her pains had been for nothing. Her anger turned to amusement, however, when the bird, eyeing her severely, said, slowly and solemnly, "Temper ! Temper !" A parrot caused much amusement at Farnham some years ago in the Toll owing way. The parrot lived at a house where a number of chickens were kept, and every day the daughter of the house came out with the bowl of chicken-food and called, "Come along, come along, come along !" Immediately! the troop of chickens came trotting out, ready for the day's meal. One afternoon Polly, tired of doing nothing in her cage, hit upon a bright idea. Accordingly, she flew out of her cage into a tree, and started calling, "Come along, come along, come along !" in exactly the same tone of voice as her mistress did. The chickens all trooped out as usual, and were surprised not to find their food ready. Polly looked at them, and then laughed and said : "Ha, ha, ha •' You silly little fools !"

On one occasion a raven raised a) -3hout of "Fire !" in stentorian tones, and sent pepole running hither and thither to find where the fire was. Ar length he burst into a fit of laughter, and the people found that they had been fooled by a bird.

I A somewhat pathetic story was given from a pulpit by a minister one Sunday, of a parrot who had escaped from her cage and got into a wood. This parrot was kept close by the turnstile of a circus, and it was constantly hearing its master saying, "One at a time, please, gentlemen ! Steady, gentlemen, please !" One * day the parrot ' was missing and could not be found anywhere. At last they heard it calling out, "One at a time, please,, gentlemen !" The parrot was at length found in a wood, surrounded by birds who were picking out its gorgeous plumage. The poor parrot was screaming out, "Steady, gentlemen, please ; one at a time, please, gentlemen !" A parrot belonging- to an elderly lady was heard using bad language one day. "Oh, Polly, whoever taught you to use such dreadful language ?" asked its mistress. "You did," was the quick retort of the wicked old bird.—"Tit-Bits."