PARROTS. 257 



veying the group; but at last exclaimed 

 in Portuguese, "What a company of white 

 men are here!" His owner, pointing to 

 the Prince, inquired who he was? "Oh!" 

 said the bird, "some General or other!" 

 The Prince then casually asked him, 

 "From what place do you come?" He 

 answered instantly, "From Marignan!" 

 "And to whom do you belong?" "To a 

 Portuguese!" was the reply. "What do 

 you do there?" again asked the Regent, 

 astonished, to which the bird responded 

 with great naivete, "I look after chickens !" 

 " You look after chickens," said the Prince, 

 jeeringly. "Yes ! I, I !" reiterated the 

 Parrot, "and I know well enough how to 

 do it!" and then immediately imitated the 

 clucking call of a brood-hen to her chicks. 

 Another instance of a talented bird, 

 who is now in Philadelphia, in a central 

 portion of the city, who calls for his meals 

 regularly, scolding harshly, if not instantly 

 served, and laughingly calling, in imitation 

 of the mother's voice, the names of the 



