A. G . Butler—The Grey Parrot



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The Six-wired loves to play about under a small bush, generally

with a small stick; he dances and prances about in a most absurd

manner, occasionally raising breast and abdominal plumes so that

from the front ho looks like a ball of feathers.


These birds are only of special interest for a comparatively short

time of the year, and for only a part of the day even then. One seldom

sees the wonderful beauty of their fantastic plumage, more especially

in the darker varieties, which require a special light, which they seldom

enter, to show off the colours.



THE GREY PARROT


By A. G. Butler, Ph.D.


It was with great pleasure that I was reminded of our late member,

Mr. 0. E. Cresswell, by the appearance in the March number of the

Magazine of the commencement of his interesting article on the Parrots ;

but I was rather surprised that he should write of the Grey Parrot as

South African. Mr. Cresswell’s remarks about the Grey Parrot’s

“ throaty voice ” and inability to change its voice no doubt were

based upon birds which had been improperly taught. Most owners

of Parrots, as I have frequently noticed, consider it necessary to talk

through their noses to their birds ; perhaps the large curved upper

mandible reminds them of Punch and therefore they assume that a

Parrot ought to talk in the fashion of Punchinello.


Now, when I started to teach my young Grey to talk, I spoke to

him in my natural voice, and I instructed other members of my house¬

hold to do the same ; the result was that my bird not only spoke

far more distinctly than I ever heard an Amazon Parrot do, but it

altered the tone in imitation of different members of the family, so as

frequently to deceive them ; it learned to know each of us by name,

and never made a mistake in addressing us. Each morning when I

approached its cage my Grey used to say, “ Arthur, good morning ! ”

“ Are you all right ? ” When I assented he would say, “ Quite right,”

and then he would turn his head, looking at me sideways, and say,

“ You’re a rascal! ” and when 1 reproved him for rudeness he answered,

“ Bobby’s a rascal ! ” I called him Bobby because he was a cock bird,



