436 THE ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR. 



speak plain, though not so plain as the parrot ; for at a show in 

 Manchester, where talking was the subject of a prize, several had 

 exhibited their prowess. At last the cover was removed from 

 the cage of a grey parrot, which, on seeing the company, 

 exclaimed, " By jove, what a lot of parrots !" and won the first 

 prize. Sir William Temple tells of the Brazilian parrot which 

 Prince Maurice tested in Brazil during his government there. 

 When brought into the room where the Prince was, with several 

 Dutchmen with him, it at once said, "What a company of 

 white men are here !" They asked " what it thought that man 

 was," pointing to the Prince. " Some general or other," it 

 replied. The Prince asked, " Whence came you ?' " From 

 Mirannan," it said. "To whom do you belong?" "To a 

 Portuguese." "What do you there?" "I look after the 

 chickens." The Prince laughed, and said, " You look after the 

 chickens V " Yes ; and I know how to do it very well," and 

 then cried, " Chuck, chuck, chuck," as people do when calling 

 on chickens. Sir William states, " He set down the words just 

 as Prince Maurice said them." But starlings can also speak 

 plain. A shoemaker in Ayr taught one to say distinctly, 

 " Come in, sir, and take a seat ;" " I see by your face you like 

 the lasses;" "George, I want it immediately." Mr Syme, of 

 Edinburgh, had one which distinctly said, " Good morning, sir 

 — breakfast, breakfast ;" and " Breakfast, breakfast — bread and 

 butter for Jack — pretty Jack — pretty Jack." 



The next allied genus is called Pastor by Temminck. 



The Rose-Coloured Pastor. 



Turdus Roseus. (Linn.) Pastor Roseus. (Temm.) 



This is a lovely bird, same size as the starling, which it 

 resembles in habits. It is called pastor or shepherd, from being 

 sparsely seen amongst a flock of starlings. It is also called rose- 

 coloured cow-bird, from its habit (like the starling) of perching 

 on cows and feeding on the larvae of their insect enemies j and 

 as it is a native of the warmer parts of Africa and Asia, it is 

 much prized. It is only an O.V. with us in winter. It lives 

 on insects, and nestles in the holes of trees and rocks. Its 

 general colour is pale rose-colour, hence roseate. The under- 



