130 MENTAL EVOLUTION IN MAN 



TTiatter of immediate observation — and so of sensuous associa- 

 tion — as is the object of which it may happen to be a quality. 



Again, it is no less certain that many parrots will under- 

 stand the meaning- of active and passive verbs, whether as 

 uttered by others or by themselves. The request to " Scratch 

 Poll " or the anouncement " Poll is thirsty," when intentionally 

 used as signs, show as true an appreciation of the meaning of 

 verbs — or rather, let us say, of verbal signs indicative of actions 

 and states — as is shown by the gesture-sign of a dog or a cat 

 in pulling one's dress to indicate " come," or mewing before 

 an open door to signify " open." 



But not only may talking birds attach appropriate signifi- 

 cations to nouns, adjectives, and verbs ; they may even use 

 short sentences in a way serving to show that they appreciate 

 — not, indeed, their grammatical structure — but their applic- 

 ability as a whole to particular circumstances.* But this 

 again is not a matter to excite surprise. For all such 



* Mr. Darwin writes: — "It is certain that some parrots, which have been 

 taught to speak, connect unerringly words with things, and persons with events. 

 I have received several detailed accounts to this effect. Admiral Sir J. Sullivan, 

 whom I know to be a careful observer, assures me that an African parrot, long 

 kept in his father's house, invariably called certain persons of the household, as 

 well as visitors, by their names. He said * Good morning ' to every one at 

 breakfast, and *Good night' to each as they left the room at night, and never 

 reversed these salutations. To Sir J. Sullivan's father he used to add to the 

 ' good morning ' a short sentence, which was never repeated after his father's 

 death. He scolded violently a strange dog which came into the room through an 

 open window, and he scolded another parrot (saying, ' You naughty polly ! '), 

 which had got out of its cage, and was eating apples on the kitchen table. Dr. 

 A. Moschkan informs me that he knew a starling which never made a mistake in 

 saying in German 'good morning' to persons arriving, and 'good-bye, old 

 fellow ' to those departing. I could add several other cases" {^Descent of Man^ 

 p. 85). Similarly Houzeau gives some instances of nearly the same kind {Fac. 

 Ment. des Anim., torn, ii., p. 309, et seg.) ; and Mrs. Lee, in her Anecdotes records 

 several still more remarkable cases (which are quoted by Houzeau), as does also 

 M. Meunier in his recently published work on Les Aniynaiix Perfectibles. In my 

 own correspondence I have received numerous letters detailing similar facts, anc 

 from these I gather that parrots often use comical phrases when they desire to 

 excite laughter, pitiable phrases when they desire to excite compassion, and so on ; 

 although it does not follow from this that the birds understand the meanings of 

 these phrases, further than that they are as a whole appropriate to excite the feel- 

 ings which it is desired to excite. I have myself kept selected parrots, and can 

 fully corroborate all the above statements from my own observations. 



