VA8A PARROT. 79 



That many birds are by nature utterly unfitted for a life in captivity, 

 must be apparent to any one who has even bestowed a passing thought 

 upon the subject; the Lark, for instance, accustomed to soar aloft and 

 revel in the boundless realms of space; or the Eagle, whose home is 

 likewise in mid-air, and his resting place on some inaccessible cliff; 

 but with others of the feathered tribes it is different. Some of them 

 actually seek the society of man and assume, voluntarily, restraints 

 that are dearer to them than the most perfect liberty; of these are 

 the Pigeon and the Eobin Eedbreast. But intermediate between the 

 two extremes are others that without seeking, yet submit, if not with 

 pleasure, at least with perfect resignation, to a life of captivity, and 

 refuse to return to a state of nature, when the opportunity for so doing 

 is presented to them; of these, among others, are many of the Parrots. 



One of these birds that came into our possession several years since, 

 was as wild and vicious as a Hawk, snapping and biting fiercely at 

 every one who came near it, trying to cut the bars of its cage, and 

 every now and then giving utterance to the most appalling yells. The 

 lady from whose custody it had passed into our own, was well versed in 

 the management of Parrots, and had succeeded in perfectly taming several 

 that at first seemed as intractable as the bird of which we are speaking; 

 but upon this savage she could make no impression, and so she got 

 rid of it, and it came into our keeping. When, finding it apparently 

 irreclaimable, we turned it out into an aviary in which was located 

 another of the same species, scarcely less vicious than this very objec- 

 tionable member of the Parrot race. 



The rencontre between the two was alarming and yet amusing. A 

 battle royal took place, and feathers were scattered all about; blood 

 was even drawn, and the combatants fought until they were both of 

 them utterly exhausted. Neither could claim the victory, and each 

 stood in very proper dread of the other ever after; so that an armistice 

 was in all probability agreed to between them; and afterwards they 

 became tolerable friends, though every now and then a sly bite from 

 one or the other, a shriek from, and hasty retreat of, the bitten one 

 to the farthest corner of the aviary; plainly showed that not much love 

 was lost between them. 



This went on for a couple of years, when one of the pair one 

 morning or evening caught its foot in the wire of the aviary, and 

 tugging to get free, unfortunately broke its leg; and retreating to a 

 corner of the outside, or open part of the enclosure, was unable or 

 unwilling to move, and stayed there unnoticed until, on going to feed 

 them in the morning, we found the poor Parrot dead and cold. 



Though by no means an engaging creature, we felt very grieved for 



