quiet and, so far as we know, not one 

 has ever been taught to repeat words. 



Mr. W. T. Greene gives the following 

 interesting account of a pair of King 

 Parrots in captivity: *'A pair of adult 

 King Parrots were placed in an out-door 

 aviary, only a portion of which was 

 protected from the weather. The in- 

 terior was fitted up with logs suitable 

 for nesting places, and the whole of the 

 back was covered with pieces of virgin 

 cork. The King and Queen soon made 

 themselves at home in their new abode, 

 and commenced by looking out for a 

 house among the hollow logs of various 

 sizes that had been placed at their dis- 

 posal by the owner; none of these, how- 

 ever, seemed to be to their taste, and 

 after trying first one and then another, 

 they gave up the logs as a bad job al- 

 together, and selected for their resi- 

 dence a ledge under the roof in the 

 inner portion of their abode, which was 



shaded from observation by a bioad 

 piece of cork, and on this ledge the 

 Queen deposited her eggs, how many in 

 number the owner could not tell, for he 

 was afraid of disturbing the birds by 

 looking, and in due time the hen 

 hatched and reared her young, some- 

 times two, sometimes three in number." 

 Mr. Greene also gives the following 

 account of a most intelligent specimen 

 of the King Parrot which was owned by 

 a lady. This bird was probably eight 

 or nine years of age. It was very tame 

 and talked exceptionally well. Tlie 

 lady gave Mr. Greene the following 

 statement: "Some of the sentences he 

 pronounced very distinctly, Tolly, put 

 the kettle on'; 'Mother, call the doctor'; 

 'Mother, kiss your darling'; 'Kiss 

 Sukey, there's a dear,' and so on; he is 

 rather shy and silent before strangers, 

 but very talkative and amusing when I 

 am with him in the room alone." 



SOME UNDERGROUND PETS. 



If a visitor to the mines wants to get 

 himself into trouble, let him take a rat- 

 killing dog with him. Every mine is 

 alive with rats, great big fellows that 

 can easily kill any ordinary dog and 

 never hesitate to show fight when one 

 comes near. 



But it is not the danger to his dog 

 alone that the visitor should dread, but 

 the wrath of the miners should a single 

 one of the rats be killed in the fray. 

 They are the miners' pets. Not only 

 do they act as scavengers and thus ren- 

 der inestimable service to the men who 

 must spend the greater part of their lives 

 in these dark, underground rooms, but 

 they are faithful, never-failing friends to 

 warn them of that danger they most 

 dread, the caving in of the rocky roofs. 



The rats' ears, far keener than men's, 

 hear the slightest whisper of trouble 

 among the slipping sands and telltale 

 pebbles, and with shrill, peculiar squeals 

 they flee to the open air. Many miners 

 have saved their lives by hurrying after 

 them in times like these. 



Is it any wonder that the men protect 

 them? That they devise plans to keep 

 the rats near their rooms ? Besides, they 

 are the only creatures that will share the 

 loneliness, gloom and danger of the un- 

 earthly cells where the men toil year 

 after year, and too often, in the end, 

 give up their lives. Small wonder that 

 many superstitions are woven about 

 them, or that the miners would sooner 

 surrender their insurance policies than 

 their friends, the Rat Family! 



Lee McCrae. 



