1806.] 



Anecdotes of Dr. Thornton^ s Blue Macaw. 1 3 1 



and having fed on it, throws it down ; 

 |>ut it'tlie f"o(jd he nice and abundant, he 

 carefully cunveys it to his tin rcfervoir, 

 and leaves for anotiicr repalt what he 

 cannot cat in this, lie foon forgot his 

 barbarous founds, and now imitates 

 woi'ds, and for hours together aniufes 

 Uinifelf in laying — " Poll," " iVlacaw," 

 " Turn him out," " Pretty fellow," " Sau- 

 cy fellow," '' What's o'clock," laughing, 

 and calling out the names of the Doc- 

 loFs children. If any is liurt, lie gives 

 the firll alarm ; nor does he delill until 

 tliey are attended to. The Doctor's fon, 

 obferving the fagacity of this bird, un- 

 dertook to inftruct him. lie taught him, 

 at wo id of command, to defcend from 

 his perch,' and fraud upon his fingL'r ; 

 tJien, by another order, he turns hindelf 

 downwards, and hangs upon the fore-tin- 

 ger by one foot, although the body is 

 fwung about with much violence. Being 

 uext allied how a certain perfon Ihould 

 be ferved, the fpectator attends an an- 

 fwer, but the bird, by his bill, is pendent 

 on the linger, and has all the ajjpearance 

 of one hanging. At delire he ex- 

 tends his wings, and lliews their beauty. 

 He next fans the fpeOtator ; and being 

 put upon the ground, walks backward as 

 rieadily as forwards, with his two toes in 

 front and two behind. lie then clam- 

 bers like a failor up the mizeii, and with 

 his two open mandibles embraces his 

 percli, which is nearly two inches in 

 thickncfs. Placed there, he is alked, if 

 a certaui gentleman w as to come here, 

 liow he would ferve liim ? he fliakes his 

 head feveral times, raifes his wings, 

 ej-ects all his featiiers, opens his mouth, 

 catches hold of the tingcr, and, feeming- 

 ly in earncll, keeps on biting, as though 

 he would take it olf, ojjpoling every re- 

 liftance, and when he liberates the fin- 

 ger, uttei-s a fcream. He is then alked 

 how he would fene his mailer ? — when he 

 gently bites the linger, and carefles it 

 with his beak and tongue, and holds his 

 head dowji, as exiK'ctini; it to be i'eratch- 

 ed. Nor is this all. Being given a nut 

 on his Ihind below, he mounts the up- 

 right Itick, and the nut fomeiiow difap- 

 pears. He then, at word of c(innnand, 

 j)refents it to the company, liolds it in 

 his paw, and cracks it. The nut was hid 

 under the tongu*', in the liollow of the 

 under mandihle. Given a pcach-lionc, 

 lie linds out its natural divilion, and after 

 many etiorts opens it for the kernel. 

 When any nuts are jirefcnted hin), he is 

 in one univcrfal agitation ; and he has fo 

 iJiudi litj^iicity, that without ct'atking, 



■wlien he takes up a bad nut, he very in- 

 dignantly throws it on the ground. He 

 is remarkal)ly fond of muiic, and with 

 motions of his feet along the perch, 

 movement of his winiis, and his head mo- 

 ving backwards and forwards, he dances 

 to all lively tunes, and keeps cxatt time. 

 If any perfon lings in wrong mcafurc, he 

 quickly di'filts, and begins to another, 

 whole ear keeps time. 



lie is very friendly to flrangers, puts 

 on a terridc appearance towards children 

 for fear of injury, and is very jealous of 

 infants. In rainy weather the blue fea- 

 thers look green, and alfo in clear wea- 

 ther when there are vapours in the Iky : 

 hence he is an admirable weather-gage. 

 What proves a peculiar fagacity in his 

 imitations is, that thefe he elfeds ffjme* 

 times without his voice ; for inftance, 

 there is a fcilfars-grinder who conies into 

 the Itreet where the bird is every Friday. 

 All the f)arrots have a tile in the inlide of 

 the upper mandible, with wliich they 

 grind down their undcr-bill, and in this 

 they are employed for an luiur every 

 evening. This found people ufnally mil- 

 take for fnorinff. This fcraping was at- 

 tempted, but the nice car marked the 

 difterence, and he harl recourfe to his 

 claws, which he luuck againll the perch, 

 armed with tin, and obferving the time 

 of the turning of the wheel, he efle6ted a 

 moll exa't imitation, which he repeats 

 c^ery Friday. SoTnctimeb the child's pap 

 would be taken to the window and beat- 

 en with the fpouii : this he would imme- 

 diately imitate, by ftriking his broad bill 

 againll the lidos of his percli. 



The light of candles awakens him, and 

 lie will then dance, and difcriminate per- 

 fons ; but prelented with fngar, or any 

 food, he often miifes it. lie often then 

 will invite to be held upon the hands to 

 Huttcr his wings ; but he feems to have 

 no inclination to fly, and appears per- 

 fetily happy in the partial lil;crty he en- 

 joys. " N. 



Fqp the Monthly ]\Jxiga~iiie. 

 cniTiCAL SURVEY o/'lessing's works. 

 [I'ur Furtkiilura of hin Life fee Vol. 19, 



;;. 5G9, and Vol. 23,";;.'lU?.] 



IN this inftance the fagacity of LeC- 

 ling's criticifni may be qiicllioned. 

 The fourth .Sebailian was but another hn- 

 pollor. 



The evidence for Sebaftian's death ic 



fatiifaOtory. It is naturally probable ; it 



is circumllantial ; nor was it difputed. 



during the reij^n of the rightful hcii", J'it 



11 "i, iincle 



