THE PARROTS. 145 



Her laugh is quite extraordinary, and it is impossi- 

 ble to help joining in it oneself, more especially when 

 in the midst of it she cries out, ' Do n't make me 

 laugh so. I shall die, I shall die;' and then con- 

 tinues laughing more violently than before. Her 

 crying and sobbing are curious ; and if you say, 

 ' Poor Poll ! what is the matter?' she says, ' So bad ! 

 BO bad ! got a bad cold !' and after crying for some 

 time will gradually cease, and making a noise like 

 drawing a long breath, say, ' Better now !' and begin 

 to laugh. 



" The first time I ever heard her speak, was one 

 day when I was talking to the maid at the bottom 

 of the stairs, and heard what I then considered to 

 be a child call out, ' Payne ! (the maid's name) I am 

 not well! I'm not well!' and on my saying, 'What 

 is the matter with that child?' she replied, 'It is 

 only the Parrot ; she always does so when I leave 

 her alone, to make me come back;' and so it proved; 

 for on her going into the room the Parrot stopped, 

 and then began laughing, quite in a jeering way. 



" It is singular enough, that whenever she is affronted 

 in any way, she begins to cry, and when pleased, to 

 laugh. If any one happens to cough or sneeze, she 

 says, 'What a bad cold!' One day when the chil- 

 dren were playing with her, the maid came into the 

 room, and on repeating to her several things which 

 the Parrot had said. Poll looked up, and said quite 

 plainly, ' No I did n't.' Sometimes, when she is in- 

 clined to be mischievous, the maid threatens to beat 

 her, and she says, ' No you won't.' She calls the 

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