226 HISTORY OF 



The extreme sagacity and docility of the bird 

 may plead as the best excuse for those who spend 

 whole hours in teaching their parrots to speak ; 

 and, indeed, the bird, on those occasions, seems 

 the wisest animal of the two. It at first obsti- 

 nately resists all instruction ; but seems to be won 

 by perseverance, 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 pro- 

 portion as its instructors 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 dis- 

 tinctly 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 qualities of the 

 two languages, and was for entering into an ela- 

 borate discussion on the vowels and consonants ; 

 but a friend that was with me solved the difficulty 

 at once, by assuring me that the French women 

 scarcely did any thing else the whole day than 

 sit and instruct their feathered pupils ; and that 

 the birds were thus distinct in their lessons in 

 consequence of continual schooling. 



The parrots of France are certainly very ex- 

 pert, but nothing to those of the Brasils, where 

 the education of a parrot is considered as a very 

 serious affair. The history of Prince Maurice's 

 parrot, given us by Mr Locke, is too well known 



