ANECDOTE OF A PARROT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 59, 27 March 1851, Page 4

ANECDOTE OF A PARROT.

Many long years ago, while I was sealed up in the Hebrides, I became intimate with a family who had a beautiful parrot, which a young mariner had brought from South America as a pri-scnt to his sweetheart. This happened lung before my arrival in Mull; mid Poll for many years had been a much-piizeil and petted larourite in the household. He was a captive, to be sure, but allowed at times to lie outside bis cage on parole; and, always observing good faith and gratitude fur such indulgences they were icpeatcd as often as appeared consistent with safe custody. Tite few Moid* ol Gaelic I'liich he had picked up in his voyage to the north were just sufficient, on his arrival, to bespeak the goodwill of the I r irniiY, and recommend liimsell to their bos-1 pilality; but his ether vocabulary was soon increased, —he became a great mimic,—he could imitate the cries ol every domestic animal,— the voices of the servants:—be could laugh, whistle, and scold, like any other bip<-<l around him. He was, in short, a match lor Kelly's lenowned pariot: for although he could not, or >vould not, sing "God save the King," he was a proficient in "Charlie is my Darling," and other Jacobite airs with which he never fifed to regale the company, when properly introduced. Poll was indeed a remrukahle specimen of his tribe, and the daily wonder of the nliohneighbourhood. Years flew by : and although kind treatment had quite reconciled Mm to his case, it would not waid oil' the usual edicts of old age, particularly in a climate where the sun rarely penetrated within the bars of his prison. When I first saw him, his memory had greatly failed him; while bis bright |>rceii plumage was fast verging into a silvery grey. He hnd but little left ol that triumphant chuckle which used to provoke such laughter amo-g the younkers. and day ofirr day lie would sit mute and moping on his perch, seldom answering the numerouquestinns that wtre put In him respecting tincause of his mnlady. Had any child of the house been sick, it could hard'y have been •treated with grenter tenderness than Poll. At hot, one fine morning, just as the vernal equinox had blown a few ships into harbour, a stranger was announced, and iinmeili itely recognised by the master of the house as n " Don " something a Spanish merchant, whose kindness to s young member ol the 'tmily had been of'.en mentioned in his letters from Mexico. One of his own ships, a brig, in which he had made the voyage, was then in the bay, driven in by stress of weather, for Mall was no market for Spanish goods. But that was not my business ; he would inns? likely pay a visit to (Jrcenock, where, in lite ( present day at least, cpanish curgocs are rit< o ouih. No sooner had ihiir visitor p.xihang'dsaliitalini s tfilh the master ol the house and the family, than the | arrot rail-lit liis eye ; and, going up to the cage, he addressed the ■sl-iqA bird in familiar Spanish. The ellect was «lectiic : t.';-> poor blind captive seemed as it suddenly awakened to anew existence; he

flsittir.-d his •• ioj»s in rcstisy—n'i'n.d lis eyes, fixed them, dim a:i<l signless as ihey were, imcndy on tin' sti'"'.ui'r; tlii'n answer d linn in tin - same speech not an accent of <•. Inrli lie li tl ever henrd for i«enly veins. His jov was excessive- lint it was very short; for in Ibe. nib'sl of his screams and amies, poor Poll dropped dead from his perch.

Tiik Wkdhehstonk.— The 'W.'ilderstnne <tunls in a fi"lil ii'-ar I lit? village of Gallon, in All.inil.i) ■. iradtlinn slates iliut several \ ear-. is;o a no'otious sheep stealer iinesii-il tli>part of ibe roiini;: of Noithniulicland, wlio ii appears wa< the "error of Hie whole nuif{lihiiur|nii: farmer-': in the liist pi-re, because lie • IM'eaii tl lo he a sinod jm'gc of inilltiin, fiiuii ili« f u-t of In* faking ll'«* clio ce nnimal of the flick j and in lli<- second place, thai althnimh he hail p .id n vi.-it lo every sheeplb d lor .-. Viral miles aionnd, and lo in ny where a <lriei wateh was lo pt, he remained unsuspected ; ncitl er w.is there the idiulliesi sns- • licion as lo who ih« thhf might he At I iitfth, however, the invisible hjcaino visilile. It appears thai his nn thod of carrying till" his "Hinly was to tie file four leg-s •••' t»e animal loji'liW, ifii' then by |>niiinj; liis bend lli'iinuh Iho spice between the feet nnd the body, tlnn i any it away on bis shnuld-rs. O.i •■is last visit "to Ins neighbour's 11.■• k, lite animal whir It he lad seleced for Ins week's provision being heavy, be stoppi d lo re-i iiiin-i'lf, nml | laced his bin then upon the top of u small stone column (uillu ill tnkieg it "If his slum ders), when tin- animal ii.comin.'i siul. cul v re live, rmnmenied siru;>jjlin!,', an-i slipped oil'the sti-m* on ibe oppo-ite si' e. Its tviijihl being ibns drawn sudiculv r.iuini Ins u.i-k, the pour wr.lch was unable to extriaie hiinsi 11, and was l-miul on ibe Inllowinn morning quite ilea I ; bis vn lini ihus pr.viny nis ex'-'.u imiei — lMeiarg Gazelle.

Fi-.f.ihn" the liiNcur. —I h >ve just sicn n itrnii»c > : ght. A huge winden howl, some two Icct in diameter im-l full of bni ed ncr, was placed ill the middle of the street; il i riiwd of '\rnbs .iinuiediutely squalled round, nil j»l »i ■■_-• i - <• in their hands at nm c, and lirkinjr iluir fingers "itli monstrous d.lijhi '('lie nii'ss vnitlicd rapidly ; every oi.e who passed was invited to partake; mid some goo i-na-tured fellows seized iin old blind man and threw liim, firttiiiiiiff wilh delijht, c»cr tlie Il ads or those who surrounded I In- basin, in order dial be might get n handful. Women wive stopped, nm! «s they <:• old not •at at oner, on ncronnt of their veiis, hud lliei' hands filled. Om- soon connived tn sa.illuw he portio'i, mid 1 saw her go away wipioj her lingers against the will. Children, while on tlii" slioiddt-rs of olli> rs c.'ine for their MO'lion. Ad this was thrf work of abom llirei: minutes, when the crowd perse. On man, Imwi ver, prob aidy n late ciiiiiit, snatched up the bowl, nod r protein'■if washing it from a water-skin on a camel's buck hard by, and begun to scrape it loimd and round, and liik bis fingeis with delight. I'rrsiMiilv a couple of wounn joined him, and they squatted down lound it, pom eel more water in, swilled tlie sides, and ua-hed down the r<niaining giains of rid 1 , which Ihev scooped up and devoured. Wlirn ill'se had done, yet another hungry one appeared, and seizins; the bowl, rubbed it as if lie wnnled to unit the sides, poured in a lit'b' water, rubbed again, and succeeded in pr- during a pale fluid. Then he look up an enormous vtssel in two Lands, and seemed to enjoy the draught extremely. I n lerwards learned thai tl is was a gift to ilie poor on the occasion either of a marriage, a ciictum ision, or a deaih.—.SV. John's 'two Years' Residence in a l.tvnntine Family. To Make Mens Lay''Perpetually Hens will lay eggg perpetually if tnaied in the fo hi • ins; maimer :—Keel' no cocks: give ihe hens fresh m<-at, chopped, up like sausage incut, once a day, a very small portion, sav half nn ounce a dav to eac • lien, (luting the winter, or from the lime insects disappear in iln; fall till they uppear again in the spring. Never allow any «-gi.s to remain in the nest for what are culled nest-eggs. When the cocks do not run with the hens, and no neslciigs are left in the nest, the bens will not cease laying niter the production of twelve or | Qltccn eggs, as they always do when cocks i and iitst-eugs are allowed, hut will continue laying | irpelunlly. My hens lay all ilie winter, each troui sev> uty five to one hundred cgL's in succession. If the above plan were, .em-inl y followed, eggs wonl I he j i>t as ..Itii>v id winter as in summer. Tlie only e.isini why bens do not lay in winter as fuely as in summer is the want of animal food, uhirh lliey git in summer in iii'iindnttce, in the form of insecis. / lure or several unite's reduced mv tneory to linieiiec, a -d piovcd its entile co ueiness.— Imencaa l'.iper.