294 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



recommended to salute the lady of the house. Another 

 parrot whose cage occupied a window close to a fashionable 

 church continually accosted the passers-by, by calling out 

 "That's right! Go to church, keep up appearances." Such 

 remarks must often be very embarrassing, as must have 

 been the words and actions of a parrot who frequently 

 called out "Who kissed the pretty girl?" and then gave 

 a perfect imitation of the sound of several kisses in suc- 

 cession. Perhaps no more aggravating use was ever made 

 of a parrot's powers than that witnessed by Buffon, who 

 says, "I have seen a parrot very ridiculously employed, 

 belonging to a distiller who had suffered pretty severely in 

 his circumstances from an informer who lived opposite him. 

 This bird was taught to pronounce the ninth commandment, 

 — 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,' with 

 a very clear, loud, articulate voice. The bird was generally 

 placed in a cage over against the informer's house, and delighted 

 the whole neighbourhood with its persevering exhortations." 

 ORDER IV. There are many varieties of pigeons, some 

 Pigeons. being peculiar to certain districts, and others 

 covering a much more extended geographical area. Mr. 

 Darwin divides the British varieties into four groups: I. The 

 English carrier ; the Runt, and the Barb. II. The Fantail ; 

 the African owl; the Short-faced Tumbler; the Indian Frill- 

 back; and the Jacobin. III. The English Pouter, and IV. The 

 Dove-cote pigeon; the Swallow; the Spot; the Nun; the 

 English Frill-back; the Laugher, and the Trumpeter. The 

 Passenger pigeon of America, the Nicobar pigeon of the 

 Philippine Islands, the Great-crowned pigeon of New Guinea 

 and the Hook-billed ground pigeon of Samoa are other im- 

 portant species. 



Carrier In the " Percy Anecdotes " there is a brief history 



Pigeons, of the use of carrier pigeons, which we quote as 



follows : — " The first mention we find made of the emplo)m[ient 



of pigeons as letter carriers is by Ovid, in his 'Metamor- 



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