1400 The Zoologist—October, 1808. 



parrot, who lias been at Noitlirepps Hull for twenty years, used to be 

 a first-rate talker: he it was who originated the plan of turning the 

 parrots out, for, having escaped from his cage, he remained in the 

 oaks and beech trees for nearly three months, and only came back 

 when the winter set in, but looking so magnificent that the idea sug- 

 gested itself of trying the effect of liberty on other parrots as well. 

 After he returned he amused us very much by walking up and down 

 on the sill of the dining-room window, repeating the phrases of anxious 

 entreaty that had been addressed to him by the maid-servants to induce 

 him to come in, exactly imitating their different voices as well as words. 

 On one occasion he nearly frightened a poor woman out of her wits by 

 suddenly plumping down on the top of her head as she was walking 

 along the road. On two or three occasions strangers, when approaching 

 the house, have been perfectly astounded by hearing what they took 

 for the voices of invisible human beings issuing from the trees over 

 their heads. One of the young cockatoos that was born in the acacia 

 tree disappeared last spring, but returned the other day in a beggarly, 

 ruinous condition, having evidently been nearly starved, but soon re- 

 covered his good looks: it is curious what could have become of him, 

 and how he found his way back after so long an absence. The same 

 thing has occurred with others : one of the large cockatoos deserted 

 my place in Surrey for several months, and was continually seen asso- 

 ciating with a flock of rooks some miles away, but at length returned. 

 On one occasion a (lock of our parrots flew to a place named Brooke, 

 full twenty-five miles away, and eleven of them were shot by a game- 

 keeper who naturally thought he had secured a wonderful prize. After- 

 wards five cockatoos were shot altogether in the same way. 



It is curious what friendships arise between birds, some of which 

 belong to different species. A parrakeet and a green parrot were per- 

 fectly inseparable : and so, too, at my house in Surrey I had at one 

 time a flock of eleven gray parrots; but ten of them having got killed, 

 the survivor devoted himself to some cockatoos, and for the last two 

 years has invariably flown about in their company. One Carolina 

 parrot was frost-bitten in the hard winter of 1860, and lost both her 

 legs: she looked a deplorable object ever after; but a magnificent 

 Amazonian parrot took pity on her, and devoted himself to her in a 

 most chivalrous manner, defending her from the attacks of other 

 parrots, who would have murdered her, cleaning her feathers, and 

 generally sitting close to her side. The contrast was most ridiculous 

 between this diseased old cripple and the splendid young knight who 



