112 THOSE OTHER ANIMALS. 



voice, and of modulating the natural harshness of its accents 

 to the softest tones of that ofa woman, with its human-like 

 manner of taking its food, its close attention to everything 

 that passes around it, and its evident wisdom, the parrot 

 has from the oldest times been regarded with a certain 

 superstitious respect by man. ^Elian states that in India 

 these birds were the favourite inmates of the palaces of the 

 princes, and were regarded as objects of sacred reverence 

 by the people. Among civilised nations this feeling has 

 to some extent died out, but even now servant maids 

 generally regard their mistresses' parrots with dislike and 

 aversion, being never quite sure that the parrot will not 

 act the part of a tell-tale, and mention to its mistress that 

 a shattered ornament was not really, as supposed, the 

 work of the cat. The aversion is almost always mutual, 

 a parrot very seldom admitting the slightest approach 

 of familiarity on the part of a domestic, regarding her 

 with the aversion which the dog manifests towards the 

 tramp. Throughout the East the parrot has always been 

 regarded as a bird possessed of mysterious knowledge and 

 power, and frequently bears a prominent part in Arab 

 legends. As a proof of the ingrained wickedness of the 

 parrot's nature, it need only be pointed out that it possesses 

 a remarkable facility in acquiring bad language, and will 

 pick up sailors' oaths far more readily than it will acquire 

 polite language. Upon the whole, although endowed 

 with remarkable physical advantages, it must regretfully be 

 owned that the parrot is a striking example of misapplied 

 talent. 



