Birds that Talk and Mimic 



pipe, and therefore cannot have anything at all 

 to do with its tongue in any case. 



Of other talking birds not of the parrot family 

 the most celebrated is the Indian hill-mynah, a 

 large, thick-set starling, glossy black, with orange 

 bill. In India, its native home, it is often kept as 

 a pet, and when it talks really well "is a perfect 

 wonder to listen to. 



The best I ever heard — in fact, the best talking 

 bird of any kind I have met — belonged to a 

 friend in Calcutta, and spoke in an absolutely 

 human way, with a deep, throaty voice. He 

 required some coaxing before he would display 

 his talents, and the method employed was to get 

 a native servant — a very good fellow, but of some- 

 what bibulous tastes — to talk to him. 



So this worthy would squat down, and repeat 

 — for he spoke English well — the mynah's own 

 phrases to the bird. But the mynah would 

 not say, "Who are you?" " I'm off to London," 

 or any other of his set phrases; instead, he would, 

 after a while, come out with " Not a drop to save 

 my soul ! " which sentence, when once started, he 

 would continue to repeat at intervals with painful 

 distinctness and apparent satisfaction. 



The owner of this bird once had another, which 



spoke equally well — but far less respectably. He 



had bought it as a talker, but in ignorance of the 



extent of its knowledge or the depth of its corrup- 



113 H 



