182 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



According to our present knowledge, the Lory of the Blue 

 Mountains will always be of great value as an ornamental bird, 

 and for breeding purposes, but, in spite of this, it could not find 

 a place in this work if it had not been proved beyond doubt to 

 be gifted with speech. The first announcement of this fact, 

 however, was not only met with head-shaking and surprise, but 

 in several instances with positive disbelief, for throughout the 

 whole family of Sharp-tailed Lories not one single speaker had 

 hitherto been known. To Mr. K. Petermann, as already stated, 

 we not only owe the breeding of this species, through several 

 generations, but also the first announcement of their talent for 

 speech. In the great bird show of the Ornis Society in Berlin, 

 in 1879, there was a young lory belonging to the above-named 

 breeder, which was healthy, beautiful in plumage, and exceed- 

 ingly tame, imitated the note of the hawfinch, whistled several 

 calls, and pronounced pretty clearly, or at least so that it could 

 be understood, the name of his mistress, "Bertha," the eldest 

 daughter of Mr. Petermann. Next we were told of a Blue 

 Mountain Lory, which was gifted with a talent for speech, 

 belonging to Dr. Frenzel, metallurgical chemist, of Freiburg. 

 Then Mr. E. EUdiger, of Darmstadt, informed us that a bird of 

 this species in his possession said the words "Come here," and 

 *' Get away with you ! " Hence we may assume that, sooner or 

 later, we shall witness a great advance in this species. When 

 we consider that the Blue Mountain Lory, if kept singly and 

 managed properly, not only belongs to the speaking parrots, and 

 is one of the most beautiful and gentle of birds, but also becomes 

 uncommonly tame and affectionate, we may, indeed, expect 

 that it will attain great importance in the future, both as an 

 ornamental and breeding bird as well as a speaker. 



Anyone wishing to tame it, and teach it to speak, should 

 attempt to obtain one bred in this country and while still very 

 young, for these prove much more manageable and teachable 

 than those imported when old, while those, again, which have 

 had mates are exceptionally hard to train after separation. 



