STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. 85 



she used to call upon us to stop, promising if 

 we gave her a comb, or a looking-glass, that 

 she would make her parrot sing and dance to 

 entertain us. If we agreed to her request, as 

 soon as she had pronounced some words to the 

 bird, it began not only to leap and skip on the 

 perch on which it stood, but also to talk and to 

 whistle, and imitate the shoutings and excla- 

 mations of the Brazilians, when they prepare 

 for battle. In brief, when it came into the 

 woman's head to bid it sing, it sang ; when she 

 wished it to dance, it danced. But if, contrary 

 to our promise, we refused to give the woman 

 the httle present agreed on, the parrot seemed 

 to sympathize in her resentment, and was 

 silent ; neither could we, by any means, pro- 

 Yoke it to move either foot or tongue." 



Here is a fable from which you will learn 

 something worth remembering, as you may, in 

 fact, from aU good fables : 



"A parrot flew from his cage into a neigh- 

 boring wood, where he criticized the song of 

 the different birds around him. None of the 

 songs he heard pleased him. He found some 

 fault with them all. At last, the singing birds 

 asked him if he would not be so kind as to 

 sing a song himself ' Gentlemen,' said he, ' I 

 whistle, but I never sing.' " 



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