PRACTICAL JOKES. 541 



accidental ; it possesses a sense of the ludicrous, or of fun ; 

 and it indulges in genuine practical jokes, just as the parrot 

 more frequently and successfully does. 



One of the forms again both of mimicry and mockery is 

 ventriloquism in certain birds. Professor Sir Wyville Thom- 

 son informs us how a Brazilian parrot succeeded in making 

 himself and a railway party, of which he was a member, 

 believe they had run over a child. ' Suddenly the agonised 

 cries of a child, followed by low meanings, rang out from 

 under the wheels. A jerk of the drag pulled the car up, 

 and nearly threw us out of our seats. We jumped out and 

 looked nervously under the truck ; but there was no child 

 there.' Nor was the apparent accident explained, till ' a 

 large green parrot, in a cage close beside us, went through, 

 no doubt, another of his best performances in the shape of a 

 loud mocking laugh.' 



A male chat, described by Dr. Abbott, not only imitated 

 successfully the notes, cries, groans, squeaks, or calls of 

 different animals, including other birds, the squirrel, and 

 the yelping bark of the puppy; not only could it mimic the 

 ' dull creaking of a rusty sign-board,' and the ' cries of some 

 poor creature in distress ; ' but all this ' mimicry of uncouth 

 sounds ' could be uttered as if by another individual in a 

 distant tree, * throwing his voice in every direction, other 

 than towards the nest ; ' so that his notes appeared as if 

 coming ' from a point several yards distant.' In this case the 

 animal was * thoroughly conscious of its ventriloquial power ' 

 and its effects deception thereby ; and it ' trusted far more 

 to it than to flight, to avoid and mislead its enemies.' It 

 was not surprising that it succeeded in deceiving the natu- 

 ralist-observer, as well as birds of various kinds, that 

 approached its nest. 



The artificial production of consternation, alarm, fear 

 or fright is one of the common modes resorted to by the 

 parrot and other animals, of playing their tricks, pranks, or 

 jokes (Watson). 



The practical jokes of man on other animals ; the various 

 tricks that he plays upon them, mainly for the purposes of 

 what he considers 'sport,' may be fitly considered here. 



