Ornithological and Other Oddities 



tion, and when a lady came in to buy a talking 

 mynah, it was brought out for her inspection, and 

 encouraged to make some observation. If I were 

 to repeat what that wicked mynah said it would 

 surprise the British matron. 



The mynah found a home, for the next person 

 who wante'd one — who happened to be a legal 

 practitioner — no sooner heard the bird's some- 

 what unduly racy vocabulary than he exclaimed, 

 " That's the bird for me ! " and carried it off in 

 triumph. 



The house-mynah of India, which is a neat 

 brown bird with yellow legs, and habits much like 

 our own starling, is not so often heard of as a 

 talker, but I knew one very good one in Calcutta, 

 which was particularly free and friendly in con- 

 versation. 



As soon as one went up to the cage it would 

 commence to bow in regular starling fashion, and 

 to say, " Mynah, mynah, pretty mynah ! Call 

 the dog! Jack, Jack, Jack!" all very much in 

 one breath, and in a decidedly high key. 



Indeed, of all talking birds, this half-domestic 

 creature is about the best for a pet ; it is very 

 easy to keep, cannot bite like a parrot, and gets 

 so tame that it can be allowed to go about the 

 house, and even outside, with undipped wings. 



Another good talker, which can be allowed 



liberty with less risk than the mynah, owing to 



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