12 THE SPEAKING PARROTS, 



CHAP. II.— PUEOHASE AND EECEPTION. 



Tokens of a Desirable Speaking Parrot — Signs of Health — 

 Precautions in Buying — "Acclimatised" Birds — Transport — 

 Treatment on Acquisition. 



The species of parrot to be bought must be regulated by personal 

 taste, special circumstances, locality, &c. Such an account 

 as I here offer, superficial though it be, should afford the 

 amateur with little or no knowledge of parrots sufficiently 

 reliable information ; but hereafter I shall enter upon a full 

 account of the different groups under notice, give a thorough 

 description of all the varieties of the species treated, and exact 

 information concerning all their peculiarities. Here it is only 

 necessary to glance at the general tokens which denote a desir- 

 able speaking parrot. 



As in all other birds, there are in parrots certain signs of 

 health, which one should never fail to notice at the time of 

 purchase. Each bird must look bright and cheerful, be in 

 possession of its natural liveliness, have smooth neatly arranged 

 plumage, especially on the belly ; the eyes must be clear, 

 lively, not dim and dull ; nostrils not wet, dirty, or stuffed, 

 and the breastbone not sharp and prominent. The bird must 

 not appear melancholy, sitting motionless, with disordered or 

 puffed-out plumage, breathing short while quiet, or opening 

 the beak to take breath. Moulting plumage, the absence of 

 the tail, and dirty feathers, are, on the contrary, especially in 

 excitable birds, not to be regarded as dangerous symptoms. 

 Most parrots, on importation, have their wings clipped more or 

 less, on one or both sides. This is certainly a great evil 

 against which it is vain to struggle, because the clipping of 

 the wings is done either in their native place or on board 

 ship to prevent the escape of the birds. It is all the more 

 to be regretted in the large speakers, for, on the one hand, 

 it often takes years before the stumps are replaced by new 

 feathers, and, on the other, the parrots, thus deprived of their 

 feathers, require especially careful, and, above all, competent 

 treatment. Only when such a bird appears perfectly healthy 

 and fat may it be bought without anxiety. 



There are various methods of setting about a satisfactory pur- 



