Performing Cockatoo.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 192, 15 July 1873, Page 7

Performing Cockatoo.

Mr Frank Bnckland, the well-known, naturalist; gives in Land and Water an account of a wonderful performing cockatoo :—MiEdward Harris, of the King's Head Tavern, 15 Broad-street, Bloomsbury, has been good enough to call on me, at the request of Dr jLankester, in order to exhibit the performance of his cockatoo. Cockatoos and parbta, as we all know, are uncommonly clever kings, but Mr Harris's bird is certainly the Host marvellous one 1 ever saw. Mr Harris his had his pet for nineteen years, but ib twelve years before he began to teach hilt. The feathered pupil has now arrived at fuch a high pitch of training that he will obev a .signal, and even a word of command. It \\ also very curious to observe that the bird seems to have a good ear for music, keephg time to the tune, and doing what he ought to do at the right place. The bird being placed on the top of a chair, his mastor pm a little tambourine into his bill, and then, as we had no piano, sang to him the song, "Uncle .Ned had no wool on the top of his lt)iv.l." The bird shook the tambourine to t'.ie regular time, and when the chorus came ratted it beautifully, like the organ people on the Epsom Downs. A short drumstick was then placed in the bird's bill, and another n.gro song sung. Tho bird beat tunc with the stick on the little tambourine. A professional drummer could not have done

it hotter. A doll is then put into the bird's beak, and he dances the doll up and down on the tambourine, like the in ohanical dancing nigger one sees in the toy shops. At the end, or even in the middle of the performance, Mr Harris suddenly says, "show your wings." The bird instantly opens his wings, and holds them open till told to close then). A very funny scene then takes place. A little model head and shoulders of a 'gent,' with a white hat, long whiskers, glass in eye, &c, is placed over the bird's head. Mr Harris then sings, " I'm a gent, I'm a gent." The bird waves the head about so funnily in imitation of the swagger and walk of the gent that the effect is most amusing and laughable. During the singing of ' Far*down the Old Swan River,' the bird accompanies him with the bones, only the ' bones' are imitated by the snanpings of his bill, always to perfect time. While "Mr Harris sings, ''l wish I were a bird," the cockatoo ruffles up his feathers, and in the funniest possible manner, when the pathetic parts come, and at the words, ''that I might fly to thee," he opens his wings quite wide and flaps them violently, as though he was making every effort to fly, but could not manage it at all. This wonderful bird goes through many other performances equally as clever. Mr Darwin ought to see him to get some notes for his "Anatomy of Expression," for certainly I never saw such a clever-faced bird before. My old parrot, who is by no means a fool, for she can talk famously, looked quite an idiot by the side of this preternaturally learned bird, of which, by the way, my old poll was frightfully jealous indeed.