J 99 HiSTOHY OF 



manner ; for other animals turn their meat inwards to the mouthy 

 but these, in a seemingly awkward position, turn their meat out- 

 wards, and thus hold the hardest nuts, as if in one hand, till with 

 their bills they break the sheU, and extract the kernel. 



The bill is fashioned with still greater peculiarities ; for the 

 upper chap, as well as the lower, are both moveable. In mos\, 

 other birds the upper chap is connected, and makes but one 

 piece with the skull ; but in these, and in one or two species of 

 the feathered tribe more, the upper chap is connected to the bone 

 of the head by a strong membrane, placed on each side, that lifts 

 and depresses it at pleasure. By this contrivance they can open 

 their bills the wider ; which is not a little useful, as the upper 

 chap is so hooked and so over-hanging, that, if the lower chap 

 only had motion, they could scarcely gape sufficiently to take 

 any thing in for their nourishment. 



Such are the uses of the beak and the tees, when used separ- 

 ately ; but they are often employed both together, when the 

 bird is exercised in climbing. As these birds cannot readily 

 hop from bough to bough, their legs not being adapted for that 

 purpose, they use both the beak and the feet; first catching 

 hold with the beak, as if with a hook, then drawing up the legs 

 and fastening them, then advancing the head and beak again, 

 and so putting forward the body and 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 imi- 

 tate 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 con- 

 stitution; and though it bears our winter when arrived at ma- 

 turity, yet it always seems sensible of its rigour, and loses both 

 its spirit and appetite during the colder part of the season. It 

 then becomes torpid and inactive, and seems quite changed from 

 that bustling loquacious animal which it appeared in its native 

 forest, where it is almost ever upon the wing. Notwithstanding, 

 the parrot lives even with us a considerable time, if it be pro. 



