"PRETTY' COCKY”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 559, 11 January 1929, Page 14

"PRETTY' COCKY”

200 PARROTS FOR SYDNEY ZOO SHIPMENT FROM MEXICO More than 200 bright green parrots, resplendent iu their first plumagesome destined to lead a sheltered and l well-nourished life in pleasant surroundings at the Taronga Zoo, Sydney, others, no doubt, destined to be- j come the pets of seafaring men, or j of old ladies, and flourish under some j such name as Belinda —- Screaming, biting, and (alas for those so young), swearing, several j crates of them were unshipped from j the City of Osaka at Woolloomooloo on j Friday, says the Sydney “Sun.” On j a smooth voyage out from Mexico they were tenderly cared for by Mr. R. : White, of Kensington, who collected them. Mr. White went to Nicaragua with j the express purpose of securing as many of these great talking birds as he could. In the parrots, he brought back seven young spider | monkeys, for Taronga. Though all the birds have a world of wisdom in their expressions they j are all of tender years. Their life is ] still in the green of youth. Their i ages range fro/a four months upwards, i Younger than that age it would be impossible to ship them, as until they are four months old they are incapable of feeding themselves, and must be fed. This feeding process is neither so easy nor so safe as it sounds. It must be done with the mouth. The natives place a piece of fruit or some other favourite morsel in their lips and cluck seductively to the young | bird, which takes the piece in his | sharp beak and gulps it down. The ; beak of a Mexican parrot is no mean j weapon. Difficult to Catch The way in which the young parrots are caught is interesting. They nest in tall trees on the Nicaraguan hillsides, and the natives climb up, beat off the parent birds, shield their eyes against sharp pecks, and putting a hand down into the nest abstract two or three half-naked, ugly little parrots, all beak and head, screeching hoarsely. They have a special carrying appliance into which they slip the young birds. They care for tbem well, once j they are in captivity, mouth-feeding i them whenever they cry for food. I Soon, their vivid green feathers appear and they lose th»ir ugliness and begin to think a little less of their appetites and, perhaps, pick up a few odd native words. When they are fully plumed, the natives take them to market in the cities and sell them to dealers for about one-twentieth of the price paid here for a good young bird. The demand for - these parrots is ever increasing, as although they are not advertised, they are an advertisement in themselves. They learn to talk with far more celerity than other parrots, and with their beauty and flow of speech combined they are the pride of every owner and the envy of those not fortunate enough to have a friend who has been to Mexico. Mr. White is making a business of the bringing in of the Mexican parrots. He has been on several similar trips before, and will go again. Some trips pay him well, while others are made at a loss. It depends a lot on the nature of the voyage, for young parrots are not good sailors and, like old men, have a natural dread of any draught. A draught and bad weather combined might cause a whole cageful to turn their claws skyward.