PURCHASE AND RECEPTION. 15 



posed, unintentional or planned, dishonesty is in such a matter 

 to be found in persons otherwise thoroughly respectable. 

 Anyone possessing a favourite bird, a talented creature, obtained, 

 perhaps, after several failures, and which knows one or more 

 speeches, is apt to consider it as a notable talker, and, in perfect 

 conviction of the truth of this, declares it to be such. Now, 

 circumstances occur which make a sale either desirable or 

 necessary ; and then, without any evil intention, there is much 

 more promised than the facts justify. On the other hand, many 

 a buyer deceives himself with false hopes. He wishes to obtain 

 an excellent bird for an extremely low price. Thus there are 

 mutual deceptions, and consequently unavoidable quarrels and 

 strife. Undeniably there are very many men in this trade who 

 speculate in an unjustifiable manner upon the simplicity and 

 credulity of others, cry up speaking parrots above their 

 capabilities, and sell them much over their value. Indeed, 

 surprising cases of deception come under my notice, in which 

 quite untrained or old unintelligent birds have been sold as 

 excellent speakers. 



A greater and more extensive evil, which under some cir- 

 cumstances becomes suggestive of misdemeanour, arises out of 

 so-called " acclimatised " birds. Under this title many parrots 

 are put up for sale, which the inexperienced purchaser is 

 made to believe, and even often feels fully convinced, offer 

 the best guarantee of good quality in every respect. Now it 

 is astonishing how much is included in the term " acclima- 

 tised," or rather, how much it is made to include. Strictly 

 speaking, a bird can only be regarded as acclimatised when it is 

 not only quite accustomed to the country, but has moulted at 

 least once, appears in full plumage, with all the other signs of 

 health, and, above all things, is fully accustomed to the new 

 diet and management. The vendor, especially the dealer, may, 

 on the contrary, declare a parrot to be acclimatised when it has 

 only in some degree become used to the change of climate and 

 diet, and has only been imported a few months, or even weeks, 

 no matter its condition. The slightest misadventure, especially 

 the trials of a journey, may then cause sickness or death. The 

 safeguard of such a guarantee of '* acclimatisation " is therefore 

 nothing but an empty form of words. 



The next point which, indeed unnecessarily, gives rise to 

 quarrels, is a want of knowledge and patience on the part 

 of the buyer. One must be prepared, even in the case 



