124 NATURAL HISTORY. 



is aware, some gesture, or voice, or fashion of the 

 other. 



237. In imitation of sounds, that man should be 

 the teacher is no part of the matter ; for birds will 

 learn one of another ; and there is no reward by 

 feeding, or the like, given them for the imitation ; 

 and besides, you shall have parrots that will not only 

 imitate voices, but laughing, knocking, squeaking of 

 a door upon the hinges, or of a cart-wheel ; and, in 

 effect, any other noise they hear. 



238. No beast can imitate the speech of man 

 but birds only ; for the ape itself, that is so ready to 

 imitate otherwise, attaineth not any degree of imita 

 tion of speech. It is true, that I have known a dog, 

 that if one howled in his ear, he would fall a howl 

 ing a great while. What should be the aptness of 

 birds in comparison of beasts, to imitate the speech 

 of man, may be further inquired. We see that 

 beasts have those parts which they count the instru 

 ments of speech, as lips, teeth, &c. liker unto man 

 than birds. As for the neck, by which the throat 

 passeth, we see many beasts have it for the length as 

 much as birds. What better gorge or artery birds 

 have, may be farther inquired. The birds that are 

 known to be speakers, are parrots, pies, jays, daws, 

 end ravens. Of which parrots have an adunque bill, 

 but the rest not. 



239. But I conceive, that the aptness of birds is 

 not so much in the conformity of the organs of 

 speech, as in their attention. For speech must 

 come by hearing and learning ; and birds give more 

 heed, and mark sounds more than beasts ; because 



