THE PARROT. 



187 



beak again, and so putting forward the body and the feet 

 alternately, till they attain the height they aspire to. 



The tongue of this bird somewhat resembles that of a man ; 

 for which reason some pretend that it is so well qualified to 

 imitate the human speech ; but the organs by which these 

 sounds are articulated lie farther down in the throat, being 

 performed by the great motion which the os hyoides has in 

 these birds above others. 



The parrot, though common enough in Europe, will not, 

 however, breed here. The climate is too cold for its warm 

 constitution ; and though it bears our winter when arrived at 

 maturity, yet it always seems sensible of its rigor, and loses 

 both its spirit and appetite during the colder part of the sea- 

 son. It then becomes torpid and inactive, and seems quite 

 changed from that bustling, loquacious animal which it ap- 

 peared in its native forest, where it is almost ever upon the 

 wing. Notwithstanding, the parrot lives even with us a con- 

 siderable time, if it be properly attended to ; and, indeed, it 

 must be owned, that it employs but too great a part of some 

 people's attention. 



The extreme sagacity and docility of the bird may plead 

 as the best excuse for those who spend whole hours in teach- 

 ing their parrots to speak ; and, indeed, the bird, on those 

 occasions, seems the wisest animal of the two. It at first ob- 

 stinately resists all instruction ; but seems to be won by per- 

 severance, makes a few attempts to imitate the first sounds, 

 and when it has got one word distinct, all the succeeding 

 come with greater facility. The bird generally learns most 

 in those families where the master or mistress have the least 

 to do ; and becomes more expert in proportion as its instruc- 

 tors are idly assiduous. In going through the towns of 

 France some time since, I could not help observing how 

 much plainer their Parrots spoke than ours, and how very 

 distinctly I understood their Parrots speak French, when I 

 could not understand our own, though they spoke my native 

 language. I was at first for ascribing it to the different qual- 

 ities of the two languages, and was for entering into an ela- 



