UNKNOWN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 5

UNKNOWN.

I must begin by stating that I never cured for parrots —in fact, as a ohild, I distinctly fe *J?4 * n , d d»<fl*ed f them. , One of my earliest recollections li i'ttidt of a parrot kept by one of my aunts whom I often visited. It seemed peaceable aadiquiet.enough, and I bad much freedom, whenit would meander gently about the room, neither taking notice of nor molesting anyone. . Emboldened by this conduct, I .thought I might venture to teaso poor Polly, co- creeping under the table; I very gently palledateitail. Deeply, moved and incensed by this insult, Polly flew straight at 'me and bit my finger. I acknowledged the justice of. the punishment } 'still in fright and paiq, I 'screamed aloud, when my nurse andauhtflewtothereecueand restored the .outraged parrot to her cage. The next day on' being let loose, it flew straight at me, and tried to peck my eyes out and bit my cheeks : it never forgot. or forgave the injury, but trie* to bite me whenever it was loose; 1 flying at me and pecking whenever it could, till at last it became a sort of nightmare 1 and terror to me, and! repented, me in ; tears of the wrong 1 had committed against it. / Full of years and hatred,' itat last yielded up the ghost, to my peace of mind and' its mistress's regret ' The next parrot I became acquainted .with did nothing to. exalt his race in my eyes. He belonged to a sea captain, and we came across him in lodgings at the seaside. His language 1 was profanity iteelf, and- besides that he was a tale-bearer. " Robert kissed, the cook; oh fie 1" was screamed out by him suddenly one day, and by this a discovery was made of a love story which "shook the* pillars of domestic peace ;" a jealoua housemaid having taught him the phrase. , • I always think of this parrot as a " him,"" for I should be grieved to think of any respectable lady-bird disgracing herself and sex by the very. V big, big DV'thatunrighteous bird used daily. My third parrot friend was a grey one, and belonged to Admiral Blank— also a seagoing bird, but how different had been his education ! He was a thorough gentleman, full of conversation on many topics, clever at whistling, and able to sing a good song when oqcasion offered. It was in the Brazils I met him. We all lived in a lovely garden attached to the hotel, where separate little houses were built with sitting and bed rooms, according to the requirements of the guests. We had one house' and Admiral Blank another, and Folly used to spend his time in a large cage perched up in a tree, where he was very happy and conversational and became quite friendly with me, as T gave him fruits and other delicacies. Now, there was a huge negro slavo, upwards of six feet high, as black as coal, but a great swell, attired always in most spotless lily-white duck suits and a tall white hat, who was told off to attend to these garden-houses. ' His name was *• White," on the lucus a non lucendo principle, I pre« sume ; and " White ! White !" might often be heard shouted through the garden in the stentorian tones of Admiral Blank ; when White would fly with an obedient start from the kitchen of the hotel hard by. One morning I had seen the admiral start off, resplendent in uniform, and knew he was gone ; I was surprised, therefore, to hear " White 1 White !" called in his ton a of voice. I could not understand it, as I had never left the garden since he went away and had not seen him return. Neither could White. He came running and perspiring, went to Admiral' Blank's house, and then looked about the garden, but could not find him. Then, supposing he had made a mistake, he returned to the ivory-teethed, grinning, black laundry maids, in the courtship of whom he had been interrupted. " White ! White !" once' more resounded through the gardens, this time in very angry tonee. White came in fear and'haste to find — no one ; and the illusion was repeated several times that day. I speedily discovered that Polly was the caller, and, alas i next day so did White, and in his anger and spite he would have killed the bird had I not been there to protect him. Many a fruitless run did Polly give him after that,- for master's •♦ White?" and Polly's " White 1" were absolutely indistinguishable.—" Cornhill Magazine."