266 DOCILITY OF ANIMALS. 



street calls, beside many words and phrases occasionally em- 

 ployed by the family in which he resides. Though the limi- 

 tation of his mental powers does not permit him to learn any 

 extent of language, or the proper use and meaning of words, 

 he not unfrequently discovers the association between the ob- 

 ject and the sound. A woman every morning passed the win- 

 dow, where a parrot's cage was fixed, calling salt. The parrot 

 soon learned to imitate the call. But, before any sound could 

 be heard, he no sooner cast his eye upon the woman than he 

 uttered her usual call. In this and many other similar cases, 

 the objects and the sounds are evidently connected in the 

 minds of the animals. How far these associations might be 

 carried by a patient and persevering education, it is difficult 

 to determine. In this manner, however, parrots might be 

 taught a considerable vocabulary of substantive nouns, or the 

 proper names of common objects. But his intellect, it is more 

 than probable, would never reach the use of the verb, and 

 other parts of speech. 



Beside parrots, jays, &c., who learn to pronounce articu- 

 late sounds, there is another race of birds whose docility de- 

 serves to be mentioned. Singing birds, those lively and spirited 

 little animals, attempt not to articulate. But their musical 

 ears are as delicate and discerning as their voices are melo- 

 dious and delightful. The vivacity, the extent of voice, and 

 the imitative powers of these beautiful creatures, have at all 

 times excited the attention and conciliated the affections of 

 mankind. When domesticated, these birds, beside their nat- 

 ural notes, soon acquire the faculty of singing considerable 

 parts of artificial tunes. These imitations are effects of 

 natural instinct. But in exhibitions, I have seen linnets 

 simulate death, and remain perfectly tranquil and unmoved, 

 when small cannons were fired, within an inch of their bodies, 

 from a wooden fort. These little creatures have even been 

 taught to lay hold of a match, and fire the cannons them- 

 selves. 



We shall conclude this subject with a few remarks concern- 

 ing the changes produced in animals by DOMESTICATION. 



Climate and food are the chief causes which produce 

 changes in the magnitude, figure, color, and constitution of 

 wild animals. But, beside these causes, there are others 

 which have an influence upon animals when reduced to a do- 

 mestic or unnatural state. When at perfect liberty, animals 

 seem to have selected those particular zones or regions of the 

 globe, which are most consonant to the nature and constitu- 



