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on the Mind of a Bird.



Darwin says :—“ It is certain that some Parrots, which have

been taught to speak, connect unerringly words with things, and

persons with events.” I know that an Amazon Parrot which we

had some years ago, whenever it saw my wife in her bonnet,

would ask—“ Are you going out? ” “Yes” my wife would reply.

“Are you going in the park?” “Very likely” would be the

answer. “ There’s a cat in the park” was always the last remark

of the bird.


My Grey Parrot used to know us all by name, and call to

us when it caught sight of any of us, never confusing one with

the other: but, talking of the connection of sounds and things,

my Jay always imitates the sound of seed being poured into a

tin, when he sees me with a tin of seed or insectivorous food in

my hands.


Undoubtedly association with mankind has a marvellous

effect in brightening up the intellect of birds, and this is

especially noticeable with hand-reared birds which are not

allowed to mix with others : thus a hand-reared Pied Wagtail

used to delight in children’s games such as “Hide and Seek”

and “ Touch,” and played the games with as much intelligence

as a child.


Two hand-reared Canaries which we had at different times

would play the first game (which, after all, even wild birds play

at among themselves) but they never had the sense to play at

“ Touch.” The same Wagtail had such an abnormal variety of

notes that he could express his feelings almost as clearly as if he

had used articulate language. A House-Martin which I hand-

reared used to tumble out of bed in a cocoanut-shell, and fly

from his cage to nestle down in my hand, every evening when I

returned from town and called to him; and my Blue-bearded Jay

flies to the end of his cage and hangs on the wire with his crest

up directly I call “Jack!” though he is not hand-reared, but

has only learned to trust me by degrees.


The strange thing is,—that hand-reared birds although so

tame that they will fly from one person to another when called,

if they are turned loose among other birds, frequently become

far more wild than if they had been trapped when adult: the

presence of the person upon whose hand, head, or shoulder they



