﻿144 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



"What is that?" said James to Adolphus. 



" It is the parrot talking." 



" How ! can that green bird talk ?" 



" Undoubtedly ; you shall see." 



At the same instant, by a happy coincidence for Adolphus, the 

 parrot cried, " James, James /" 



" He is calling me," said James. 



" Oh ! how amusing that is ! but can he say anything?' 



" Certainly, he talks like any other person. I will carry on a 

 conversation with him." And here the mischievous Adolphus 

 asked the parrot the only question to which he could reply, " Have 

 you breakfasted, Jaco ? " 



" Yes, yes, yes, yes /" 



" You see how he talks ; but speak to him yourself; as for me, I 

 hear the bell for breakfast, and must run." 



Adolphus ran off, shut the door, and left the two interlocutors 

 together. Then the following conversation took place between 

 James and the parrot. 



James. " Have you breakfasted, Jaco ?" 



The Parrot. '' Rub-a-dub, dub, dub ! " 



James. " That is not it ; I asked if you had breakfasted ? " 



And the parrot continued to repeat, " Rub-a-dub, dub, dub." 



James. " Answer me, then, simpleton ! Have you breakfasted ?" 



The Parrot. " Carry arms ! " 



James, out of patience, and believing that the malicious bird was 

 doing this from ill-will, attempted to compel him to reply by giving 

 him a tap on the wing; he reached out his hand; the parrot bit his 

 finger, and James cried out. He suspected that Adolphus had 

 deceived him, and that his parrot could not talk any better than the 

 geese in his father's barn-yard, who said quack, quack, quack, and 

 nothing else. Then he tried to go out, but the door was fastened. 

 The breakfast bell had done ringing ; everybody was at table : James 

 was hungry and could not get out ; he called, 



" Adolphus ! Adolphus ! come and open the door; I am hungry ; 

 I want something to eat." 



He continued to call, but no one answered. He grew impatient, 

 and knocked loudly; and when he had wearied himself out with 



