a94 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



screams fly away to seek their breakfast. After having feasted 

 together, they retire to the shady parts of the forest as soon as 

 the heat begins to be oppressive, and a few hours before the 

 setting of the sun reappear in large troops. 



If the monkeys are distinguished by a strong affection for 

 their young, the parrots may be cited as models of connubial 

 love, for when once a pair has been united, its attachment 

 remains unaltered unto death. Far more than the turtle-dove, 

 the little passerine parrot of Brazil, and the love-parrot of 

 G-uinea, deserved to be celebrated by poets as patterns of conju- 

 gal affection. Never seen but in each other's company, each 

 delights to imitate the actions of the other ; and when one dies, 

 the other soon follows its partner. A gentleman who had lost 

 one of a pair of these inseparables, attempted to preserve 

 the other by hanging up a looking-glass in its cage. At first 

 the joy of the poor bird was boundless, as he fancied his mate 

 restored to his caresses ; but soon perceiving the deception, 

 he pined away and died. 



Another point of resemblance between the parrots and 

 monkeys is their talent for mimicry; but while the latter, 

 favoured by the similarity of their organisation to that of man, 

 strive to copy his gestures and actions ; the former endeavour to 

 imitate his voice and to repeat his words, an attempt facilitated 

 by the extreme mobility of their tongue and upper mandible, 

 no less than by the peculiar construction of their larynx or 

 windpipe- These imitative instincts appear the more remark- 

 able when we consider that both monkeys and parrots have 

 no pursuits that necessarily bring them into closer connection 

 with man. They are comparatively useless to him, live at a 

 distance from his haunts, in the depths of the forests, and are 

 so far from seeking his company, that they retreat as fast as 

 they can on seeing him approach. How comes it, then, that they 

 have been gifted with their wonderful ability to imitate his 

 language and his actions, and of what use is it to them or to us ? 



The talent of speech has not been given to all parrots alike.. 

 The beautiful American aras, for instance, are in this respect 

 remarkably stupid, while the purple lory of the East Indies, 

 and the grey African parrot {Psittacus erithacus\ are re- 

 markable for their linguistic attainments. It is well known 

 that they are often able to retain whole songs and sentences 5 



