PARROT SOUP. 23 
For a while after they have taken their flight the 
young ones will follow their parents; after a while the 
_ birds of the same age flock together. A young gray par- 
rot has entirely black eyes. Before he is a year old a 
change takes place: a ring shows itself round the black, 
which gradually turns yellow, then whitish-yellow. In 
the breeding season the natives capture a great many 
young ones in their nests before they can fly away. 
-After a few days the fowls of the little kingdom of 
Nengue Ngozo became scarce, and at last the King had 
no more to give me; so I said to myself, Why should 
not I kill some parrots and cook them? 
One morning I awoke before daylight. T'wo even- 
ings before I had watched a tree not far away where the 
parrots were roosting in ereat numbers, and had made a 
path leading to it. When I went by that path it was pitch 
dark; I could not help thinking of snakes, but at last I 
came to the foot of the tree. It was just before day- 
break; the birds did not see me, but they seemed to 
mistrust something, for, though I had come yery noise- 
lessly, their chatter was of that kind which showed dis- 
tinctly that they were disturbed. 
At last I raised my gun in the direction of what I 
thought the midst of the tree; then I touched both trig- 
gers, and, bang / bang! I let go both barrels at the same 
“time. The gun gave an awful recoil which almost 
knocked me down, and I heard a shower of parrots fall- 
ing all round me; one fell right on the top of my head 
and nearly frightened the life out of me, for I fancied a 
snake had just tumbled on top of me, or that a bough of 
the tree was coming down. 
What a terrific noise followed my two shots! I had 
