230 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



who sometimes called to pay my wife a visit, and had 

 in some way or other offended the Parrot probably 

 by making some remark reflecting on its personal 

 appearance, for Pinto had lost the tip 4 of her upper 

 mandible in some unexplained manner, and the lower 

 one had, consequently, grown out beyond it, making 

 a projecting, shovel-like excrescence that did not add 

 to the poor creature's attractive appearance, and being 

 a female, the bird was, naturally, a little sensitive on 

 that score. 



But it was only make-believe, for Pinto would not 

 have injured a hair of the old lady's head, had the 

 two happened to come into mutual contact a hundred 

 times a day: on the contrary, they would have made 

 up their little difference at once, and have been fast 

 friends ever afterwards. But our acquaintance was 

 timid and Pinto enjoyed giving her a fright and seeing 

 her run away. Such a huge creature running from 

 such a diminutive one was an exquisite joke, the fun 

 of which was keenly appreciated by the Hawk-head. 



In the same way "Joey" (the male of my pair) had 

 his likes and dislikes, and among the latter was my 

 youngest son Charles, who had teased the bird 

 over and over again, and especially delighted in 

 poking the Hawk-head with a stick, when the Parrot 

 would swing from his top perch by one foot, spread 

 out his wings and tail, ruffle all his feathers, and scream 

 " Murder 1 au secoursl", a confusion of tongues to 



