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Rosie Alderson



and window is shut, and that there is a guard over the fireplace ;

then open the cage door wide, and put one arm across the opening,

not above the bottom of the door. Hold the piece of biscuit on the

other side of your arm in the other hand so that the bird must come

on your arm if he wants to take the food. Talk to the parrot and

encourage him, and call him by his name, so that it may be the first

sound that strikes his notice when he knows he is being offered

something nice to eat. You must hold your arm very still and may

have to keep it out for some time. Your sleeve, not your bare wrist,

should be in front of the opening, and when the parrot comes on to

it move your arm very gently from the cage, and of course give the

bird the biscuit. If he will not come take the biscuit away. From

the first the parrot must understand that if you ai'e his friend you

are also his master. By the same rule, if a parrot tries to bite

you, don’t leave the cage at once, letting him think he has won a

complete victory, stay for a little, and show him you are not afraid

of him, but are determined to do what you intended to do; a bird

respects an owner that it knows is master of it. Most parrot bites

come from nervousness and the instinct of self-defence, not from

real viciousness, and so should not be condemned too harshly.


When the parrot will come out readily, and will almost ask

you to let him out, you have nearly won him. He has yet to learn

the greatest test of a tame parrot—to allow you to stroke him down

the back without flinching. Most parrots have an intense fear of

this, so be sure and begin your “ stroke ” by starting round the

sides of the bird’s neck and face, then very gradually as you feel

the bird will bear it, teach it to trust your hand behind it, but

remember your teaching must be gradual, for you cannot remove fear

or establish love by force and alone, the effort must come from the

bird’s side as well as yours. Don’t give all the affection yourself*

let the bird give you some of his. Love is such a delicately adjusted

scale, if one side begins to love too much, the other will assuredly

start to love too little. A healthy sense of proportion on each

side makes a “just balance.” Among all the tame parrots I have-

kept I have never found two with characters quite alike. In this,

respect they are like dogs. At the present time I have only two,

both blue-fronted Amazons. “ Rollo ” the older bird is very fine.



