PRETTY POLL. 81 



developed the fruits and nuts, while the fruits and nuts 

 returned the compliment by developing conversely the 

 monkeys and parrots. In other words, both types grew 

 up side by side in mutual dependence, and evolved 

 themselves pari passu for one another's benefit. With- 

 out the fruits there could be no fruit-eaters ; and 

 without the fruit-eaters to disperse their seeds, there 

 could just to the same extent be no fruits to speak of. 



Most of the parrots very much resemble the monkeys 

 and other tropical fruit-feeders in their habits and 

 manners. They are gregarious, mischievous, noisy, and 

 irresponsible. They have no moral sense, and are fond 

 of practical jokes and other schoolboy horseplaj 7 . They 

 move about in flocks, screeching aloud as they go, and 

 alight together on some tree well covered with berries. 

 No doubt, they herd together for the sake of protection 

 and screech both to keep the flock in a body and to 

 strike alarm and consternation into the breasts of their 

 enemies. When danger threatens, the first bird that per- 

 ceives it sounds a note of warning ; and in a moment the 

 whole troop is on the wing at once, vociferous and eager, 

 roaring forth a song in their own tongue which may be 

 roughly interpreted as stating in English that they don't 

 want to fight, but by Jingo, if they do, they'll tear their 

 enemy to shreds and drink his blood up too. 



The common grey parrot, the best known in confine- 

 ment of all his kind, and unrivalled as an orator for his 

 graces of speech, is a native of West Africa ; so that he 

 shares with other West Africans that perfect command 

 of language which has always been a marked char- 

 acteristic of the negro race. He feeds in a general way 



a 



