INTRODUCTION. ii 



gizzard before they can be digested, and serve for the nourishment of the 

 bird. To supply the want of teeth, Nature has taught the Parrot to swallow 

 a certain number of small, sharp-edged stones, which effectually reduce the 

 food to a pulp, and prepare it for absorption by the glands of the stomach 

 and intestines : yet how few owners of Parrots ever think of supplying their 

 pets with such small artificial teeth as we have alluded to. 



Many Parrots, especially the Australian species, appear in their wild state 

 to evince a preference for brackish, or slightly salt, water, over fresh; yet 

 we suppose it has not occurred to one Parrot keeper out of a thousand to 

 supply the bird he or she owns with a morsel of rock salt: in fact many 

 people look upon salt as rank poison for any bird, a belief in which we 

 were strictly educated, but which we now know to be without foundation 

 in fact: salt, instead of being injurious to Parrots, is very beneficial, and 

 should always be supplied to them: very sparingly, of course, at first, but 

 when the Parrot has got over the novelty of the thing, like the pastrycook's 

 errand-boy, it may be safely trusted with a lump in its cage, it will not 

 take more than is good for it. 



A Parrot is naturally an extremely active and lively bird, and should never 

 be kept in a small cage, in which not only it is seen to disadvantage, but 

 is apt to injure its plumage, especially its tail, and the ends of the flight 

 feathers in the wings: even when kept in a large-sized cage, it should, 

 when practicable, be allowed a fly, every now and then, about the room, 

 which it will much enjoy, and when its brief period of liberty has expired, 

 a bonne bouche, in the shape of a morsel of biscuit, a nut, or a piece of 

 apple, will soon lure it back to its domicile, to which, after a while, it 

 will return of its own accord, when it is tired of rambling about. 



Road grit, well washed to free it from dust and other impurities, is the 

 best thing with which to supply Parrots in lieu of a carpet for the floor of 

 their abode, and the absurd grillage with which the cages of these birds 

 are invariably provided when purchased new, should be immediately removed; 

 for, instead of answering any useful purpose, it is positively injurious, 

 hindering the Parrot from reaching the sharp grit on the bottom of the 

 cage; and was, doubtless, invented by some lazy owner, who objected to 

 the trouble of cleaning out " Polly" 's habitation as frequently as he should 

 have done: which brings us to the subject of cleanliness. 



This- virtue, we have been assured on very high authority, is akin to 

 Godliness, but without going quite as far as that, we are bound to say 

 that it is of the utmost importance, if the health and beauty of the captive 



