TALKING BIRDS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 287, 31 August 1938, Page 6

TALKING BIRDS

Budgerigar Which Sings “Popeye The Sailor”

Mrs. Richard Bradley, Maoribank, Upper Hutt, winner of “The Dominion” aria contest, has a bird friend that is also a champion in its smaller domain. A seven-months-old cobaltblue budgerigar, ho has no classical repertoire, but instead a fancy for chirping- “Pm Popeye the Sailor Man, Peep, Peep,” with accent on tlie

“Peep, Peep.” In hundreds of budgerigars there are few that talk clearly, if al all. There was the example of the one at Lower

Hutt that used to call “pussy, pussy.” One day it got out of its cage, perched on the edge of a ehair and called “pussy, pussy.” The cat was asleep under the chair but awoke at the call, pounced on the bird and made quick work of it,

There are, however, few budgerigars that speak so well at seven months as that at Maoribank which belongs to Mrs. E. Quinn. Mrs. Quinn got it from Constable C. Stewart. Upper Hutt. Tlie bird calls himself “BudgyMaoribniik,” and makes great play with a niinali, taking seed Io the "other bird.” to whom be proffers it with a There you are” and (lieu eats it himself. - lie is fond of a dance, too, and calls “dancy, dancy” as he sways himself about. He acknowledges himself a "cheeky boy.” When the buses pull up outside lie imitates tlie noise of their brakes rather too well for quietness. When the Quinn family laugh at some joke li.o joins iu; iu fact, lie takes a keen interest in all that goes on about him. There is a cat about tlie place called “Doody.” He asks “What does Doody want?” when the cat appears: unlike the budgerigar at Lower Hutt which called “pussy, pussy,” he has not yet found out,

The bird gave a good exhibition of its vocabulary to a “Dominion” reporter. Mrs. Quinn said it talked first at three mouths.