PARROTS. 255 



General Evening Post of October 9, 1802, 

 from an old copy of which we extract 

 the principal items. Colonel O'Kelly was 

 extravagantly fond of his bird, and is 

 said to have possessed as much affec- 

 tion for his favourite as a parent could 

 have for a child. He had been frequently 

 offered any price for the bird, but refused 

 to part with him, and also declined*many 

 offers of 500 pounds a year from those 

 who were desirous of making a public 

 exhibition of his astonishing powers. 



Goldsmith gives another instance of a 

 talented Parrot, who belonged to Henry 

 VII. of England, which is extremely 

 amusing, and no doubt true. The bird 

 was a resident of Westminster palace, and 

 being constantly hung from a casement 

 looking out upon the river Thames, learnt 

 from the passing boatmen a strange va- 

 riety of incongruous phrases. On one 

 occasion, poor Poll tumbled into the river, 

 and with a singular approach to reason, 

 shouted out at the top of her voice "A 

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