298 Birds. 



THE GREY PABROT. (Psittacus erythacus.) 



THE tongue of the Parrot is not unlike a black soft bean, 

 and fills so completely the capacity of its beak, that the 

 bird can easily modulate sounds and articulate words ; 

 the beak is composed of two pieces, both moveable, which 

 is a peculiarity belonging almost exclusively to this tribe 

 of birds. The bill of the Parrot is strongly hooked, 

 and assists it in climbing, catching hold of the boughs of 

 the trees with it, and then drawing its legs upwards ; 

 then again advancing the beak, and afterwards the feet, 

 for its legs are not adapted for hopping from bough to 

 bough, as other birds do. Several stories are told of the 

 sagacity of these birds, and of the aptitude of their in- 

 terrogatories and answers, but they have been no doubt 

 the effect of chance. 



Dr. Goldsmith says that a Parrot, belonging to King 

 Henry the Seventh, having been kept in a room next 

 the Thames, in his palace of Westminster, had learned to 

 repeat many sentences from the boatmen and passengers. 

 One day, sporting on its perch, it unluckily fell into the 

 water. The bird had no sooner discovered its situation, 

 than it called out aloud, " A boat ! twenty pounds for a 

 boat 1" A waterman, happening to be near the place 

 where the Parrot was floating, immediately took it up, 

 and restored it to the king ; demanding, as the bird was 



