FOOD OF THE GRAY PARROT. 393 



ia the stone. As a great favor I sometimes used to crack the stone before giving it to him, and his 

 delight then knew no bounds. Walnuts when quite ripe are in great favor with Parrots ; and it 

 is very curious to see how well the bird sets to work at picking out their contents, holding the 

 nut firmly with its foot, and hooking out its kernel with the bill and tongue. A split walnut 

 will give a Parrot employment for more than an hour. 



Woody fibre is generally beneficial to these birds, who often try to gratify their natural 

 longing for this substance by pulling their perches to pieces. The Parrot owner will find the 

 health of his pet improved and its happiness promoted by giving it, every now and then, a 

 small log or branch, on which the mosses and lichens are still growing. Some persons are in 

 the habit of giving their Parrots pieces of meat, fish, and other similar articles of diet, but 

 generally with evil effects. The diet is too stimulating, and keeps up a continual irritation in 

 the system, which induces the bird to be always pecking out its feathers. Many Parrots have 

 almost stripped themselves of their plumage by this constant restlessness, and I knew of an 

 individual that had contrived to pluck himself completely bare in every part of the body which 

 his bill could reach, so that he presented the ludicrous sight of a bare body and a full-plum- 

 aged head. The soaked bread and milk which is so often given to these birds is, also, too 

 heating a diet, and their bread should only be steeped in water. 



The Parrot has the true tropical love for hot condiments, and is very fond of cayenne 

 pepper or the capsicum pod from which it is supposed to be made. If the bird be ailing, a 

 capsicum will often set it right again. It is rather curious that my cat has a similar taste, 

 having, I presume, caught it from her master. Some months ago, a careless cook made a 

 "curry" with a dessert-spoonful of cayenne pepper instead of curry powder, to the very great 

 detriment of the throats of the intended consumers. " Pret," as usual, pushed her nose against 

 my hand to ask for some of my dinner, so in joke I gave her a very red piece of the meat. To 

 my profound astonishment, she ate the burning morsel with great zest, and became so clamor- 

 ous for more that I could hardly satisfy her fast enough. 



The Parrot should be able to change its position, as it does not like to sit perpetually on 

 a round perch, and is much relieved by a little walking exercise. If possible, it should have 

 some arrangement to enable it to climb ; a matter easily accomplished by means of a little wire 

 cord and a small modicum of ingenuity. There should always be some spot where the Parrot 

 can find a warm perch ; as all these birds are singularly plagued with cold feet, and often 

 catch sundry disorders in consequence. If it is kept in a cage, the Parrot should never be 

 confined in a brass prison ; for the bird is always climing about the wires by means of its 

 beak, and is likely to receive some hurt from the poisonous verdigris that is sure to make its 

 appearance sooner or later on brass wire. An occasional bath is very beneficial to the Parrot's 

 health ; and if the bird refuses to bathe, tepid water may be thrown over him with very 

 good effect. 



When proper precautions are taken, the Parrot is one of our hardiest cage-birds, and will 

 live to a great age even in captivity. Some of these birds have been known to attain an age 

 of sixty or seventy years, and one which was seen by Le Vaillant had attained the patriarchal 

 age of ninety-three. At sixty its memory began to fail ; and at sixty-five the moult became 

 very irregular, and the tail changed to yellow. At ninety it was a very decrepid creature, 

 almost blind and quite silent, having forgotten its former abundant stock of words. 



A Gray Parrot belonging to one of my friends was, during the former part of its life, 

 remarkable only for its large vocabulary of highly discreditable language, which it would 

 insist upon using exactly when it ought to have been silent, but suddenly changed its nature 

 and subsided into a tender and gentle foster-mother. 



In the garden of its owner there were a number of standard rose-trees, around all of which 

 was a circular wire fence covered with convolvuluses and honeysuckle. Within one of these 

 fences a pair of goldfinches had made their nest, and were constantly fed by the inhabitants of 

 the house, who all had a great love for beasts and birds, and took a delight in helping the 

 little creatures under their charge ; and, indeed, were deeply interested in animated nature 

 generally. Polly soon remarked the constant visits to the rose-tree, and the donations of 

 crumbs and seeds that were regularly given, and must follow so good an example. So she set 



VOL. II.-BO. 



