THE UNDULATED GRASS PARRAKEET. 25^ 



notes, and to kiss ; took food from the mouth of its master and 

 his daughter, could distinguish between those around it, and 

 would follow the young lady when she called. It never again 

 uttered the natural cry of the Undulated Grass Parrakeet, but 

 only made a by no means unpleasant twittering. 



Dr. Lazarus tells us of an Undulated Grass Parrakeet — 

 "Mignon " — which was uncommonly tame. It would come at 

 a call when flying free through the room, and perch on the 

 hand ; and it learnt to pronounce its own name distinctly in a 

 soft tone. This bird was exceedingly affectionate. 



The last account of a talking Grass Parrakeet which has come 

 to hand is from Mr. A. Brandt, of Frauenburg : " A young male 

 parrakeet, taken from the nest almost before it was fledged,, 

 became remarkably tame in a few days ; and, as the owner had 

 spare time to occupy himself with it, it soon learnt to say some 

 words, and in the course of a year and a half it could say about 

 fifty words, and even whole sentences distinctly. The bird is 

 so teachable that it daily learns something fresh." As the above-^ 

 named gentleman invites all fanciers to see and hear his 

 Undulated Parrakeet, we can have no reason to doubt the 

 extraordinary talent of this little speaker. Certainly, it has- 

 not yet been excelled by any other of its species. 



After the instances given above, we can foresee for the 

 Undulated Grass Parrakeet a much wider appreciation and 

 greatly augmented value ; for, of all the speaking parrots, it is- 

 among the least troublesome, and it is the most charming, and^ 

 at the same time, the most easily obtained. 



H.-^ 



