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PARROTS 



are not native talking birds, but as they do attempt "to murder the 

 Queen's English" at times, with their head-aching screams of 

 " Pretty Polly," and suchlike, which sounds as if they wanted a 

 piece of fat bacon pulling up and down their throats with a string to 

 clear their voices; and as they are such favourites with those good 

 old aunts and maiden ladies, who "tip" so handsomely when they 

 come to see us at school, we must say a few words about how they 

 are to be fed and managed. Parrots require large cages, for when 

 in health they are restless jades, and seem ever upon the move ; the 

 perches should also be thick as the grasp of their claws is rather large. 

 Polly must also have a ring to swing upon ; and when you have pro- 

 cured her all these comforts, and put your face to the cage for her to 

 give you a kiss, perhaps the hooked-nosed traitress will nip off the 

 end of your nose and disfigure you for life. Their food should never 

 be placed in metal pans, but in either earthen or glass vessels. They 

 are fond of bread or biscuit soaked in milk, especially if given to them, 

 before it is quite cold ; boiled Indian corn is also excellent diet for 

 parrots. They will eat almost any kind of wholesome seed or grain, 

 and are very partial to nuts. The grey parrot, which is about the 

 size of a pigeon, is considered the best talker, though the green 

 parrot bears away the bell for beauty. By-the-way, we may as well 

 tell you that the hackneyed phrase of "bearing away the bell" 

 originated in the prize given in former times to the winner of a horse- 

 race, which instead of consisting of a gold or silver cup, as is now 

 given, was generally a silver bell. 



Parrots require to be kept very clean : and although they will eat 

 it readily enough, animal food ought never to be given them. The 

 bottom of their cage ought always to be strewn with sandy gravel, 

 which should be changed at least every other day. Holstein says, 

 " The ugly brutes ought to be supplied with small- toothed combs, and 

 compelled to use them," but he hated parrots: there is something 

 on record about his wringing the neck of one because he could not 

 study for the noise it made, and that his aunt left him the stuffed 

 parrot as a legacy and nothing besides, so you see why he wrote so 

 bitterly about parrots. They are certainly not the pleasantest com- 

 panions when we are suffering from headache, or when wearied and 

 ill, and having passed a sleepless night through the toothache, we 

 are just sinking into a gentle doze, then we wish the cry of " Pretty 

 Polly" was sounding over the Red Sea, and think the best food that 

 can be given them is arsenic soaked in prussic acid. But there is 

 one comfort after all, they are not English talking birds. 



