THE PARROT. 9i 



kept together in a large cage, on the bottom of which 

 their food and drink were placed in the usual manner. 

 The cage had several perches in it, but the birds com- 

 monly sat on the same perch, and close beside .each 

 other. When one went down for food, the other went 

 also, and when both had satisfied their appetites, they 

 returned together to the highest perch. 



In this manner they passed four years in their con- 

 finement, and from their attentions to each other, and 

 their apparent contentment, it was evident that a 

 strong attachment existed between them. 



At the end of this time, the female fell into a state 

 of weakness, which had every symptom of old age ; 

 her legs swelled, and knots appeared on them, as if the 

 disease had been of the gout kind. It was no longer 

 in her power to go down to the bottom of the cage 

 and take her food, as she had always done before, and 

 the male seeing this, kindly carried it up to her, taking 

 it in his bill, and putting it into her mouth, as she sat 

 on the perch. 



In this way he continued to feed her with the great- 

 est care and attention for four months, she never at- 

 tempting to come down from her place. Her infirm- 

 ities, however, increased every day, until she was no 

 longer able to sit there, but fell down to the bottom of 

 the cage. She now, from time to time, made feeble 

 efforts to get on the lower perch, and in these attempts, 

 the male tried every way in his power to assist her. 

 Sometimes he took hold of the upp'er part of her wing, 

 and used all his power to draw her up to him on the 

 perch, and this not succeeding, he laid hold of her bill, 

 and tried to pull her up in that way, repeating bis ef- 



