82 ornithologist's text-book. 



front, so that the first floor could not be seen from 

 the pavement on the same side of the way ; and 

 one day, when they were left at home by them- 

 selves hanging out of a window, some one knocked 

 at the street door. ' Who's there ?' said the green 

 Parrot, in the exercise of his office. ' The man 

 with the leather !' was the reply ; to which the 

 bird answered with his farther store of language, 

 which was, 'Oh, oh !' Presently, the door not 

 being opened as he expected, the stranger knocked 

 a second time. ' Who's there ?' said the green 

 Parrot again. 6 D — n you, who's there !' said the 

 man with the leather, ' why don't you come down ?' 

 to which the Parrot again made the same answer, 

 6 Oh, oh !' This response so enraged the visitor, 

 that he dropped the knocker, and rung furiously at 

 the house bell; but this proceeding brought the 

 gray Parrot, who called out in a new voice, - Go to 

 the gate.' — ' To the gate !' muttered the appellant, 

 who saw no such convenience, and moreover ima- 

 gined that the servants were bantering him. c What 

 gate ?' cried he, getting out into the kennel, that he 

 might have the advantage of seeing his interlo- 

 cutor. ' New-gate,' responded the gray Parrot — 

 just at the moment when his species was dis- 

 covered." — p. 64 — 5. 



We cannot resist the temptation of offering our 

 readers one more anecdote, with which this volume 

 abounds : — 



" We remember a Parrot which belonged to a 

 lady, which was the innocent means of getting his 

 mistress into a very unfortunate scrape. A friend 

 of hers having called one forenoon, the conversation 

 of the two ladies took that turn towards petty scan- 

 dal, to which, we grieve to say, it is but too fre- 

 quently bent. The friend mentioned the name of 

 a lady of their acquaintance. ' Mrs. !' ex- 

 claimed the owner of the Parrot, ' Mrs. drinks 



