INTRODUCTION. XXXvii 



which I had caught and placed in a tumbler. On all such 

 occasions his looks of capricious surprise were very amusing ; he 

 cautiously approached the glass with fanning and closing wings, 

 and in an under-tone confessed his surprise at the address and 

 jumping motion of the huge msect. At length he became 

 bolder, and perceiving it had a relation to his ordinary prey of 

 beetles, he, with some hesitation, ventured to snatch at the 

 prisoner between temerity and playfulness. But when really 

 alarmed or offended, he instantly flew to his loftiest perch, for- 

 bid all friendly approaches, and for some time kept up his low 

 and angry tshcrr. My late friend, the venerable William Bar- 

 tram, was also much amused by the intelligence displayed by 

 this bird, and relates that one which he kept, being fond of 

 hard bread-crumbs, found, when they grated his throat, a very 

 rational remedy in softening them, by soaking in his vessel of 

 water ; he likewise, by experience, discovered that the painful 

 prick of the wasps on which he fed, could be obviated by ex- 

 tracting their stings. But it would be too tedious and minute 

 to follow out these glimmerings of intelligence, which exist 

 as well in birds as in our most sagacious quadrupeds. The 

 remarkable talent of the Parrot for imitating the tones of the 

 human voice has long been familiar. The most extraordinary 

 and well -authenticated account of the actions of one of the 

 common ash-colored species is that of a bird which Colonel 

 O' Kelly bought for a hundred guineas at Bristol. This indi- 

 vidual not only repeated a great number of sentences, but 

 answered many questions, and was able to whistle a variety of 

 tunes. While thus engaged it beat time with all the appear- 

 ance of science, and possessed a judgment, or ear so accurate, 

 that if by chance it mistook a note, it would revert to the bar 

 where the mistake was made, correct itself, and still beating 

 regular time, go again through the whole with perfect exact- 

 ness. So celebrated was this surprising bird that an obituary 

 notice of its death appeared in the " General Evening Post " 

 for the 9th of October, 1802. In this account it is added, that 

 besides her great musical faculties, she could express her wants 

 articulately, and give her orders in a manner approaching to 



