Ornithological and Other Oddities 



comes an anecdote of a political bird whose 

 utterance was very much to the point. This was 

 not a parrot, but a tui, or parson-bird. 



The tui is a large honeysucker about as big as 

 a missel-thrush, with lovely bronze-black plumage, 

 set off by a pair of white neck-tufts, recalling a 

 parson's bands. It is a clever mocker, and learns 

 to speak. 



This particular bird belonged to an old chief, 

 Nepia Taratoa, whom, together with many other 

 natives, Sir Walter Buller was once addressing 

 on some matter of grave political import. The 

 naturalist politician, who tells the story against 

 himself, had only just finished his speech when, 

 before his master could reply, the tui called out 

 from his cage overhead, "Tito" (false!), with 

 unmistakeable emphasis. 



It was too much for the audience, and Nepia 

 Taratoa himself, overcome with the rest, laugh- 

 ingly remarked that Sir Walter's arguments were 

 sound enough, but that the bird was very clever, 

 and still unconvinced ! 



The parson-bird is a convincing proof of the 

 fact that birds do not talk with their tongues, for, 

 being a honeysucker, the tui has a long, extensible 

 tongue, with a fringed tip, as unlike the human 

 tongue as possible. 



As a matter of fact, a bird's voice is formed in 

 the syrinx, which is quite low down in the wind- 



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