FACULTIES OF PARROT?. 



57 



He asked again, ' WTiat do you do licre?' * I look 

 after chickens.' The Prince, laughing, exclaimed, 

 * You look after chickens?' The Parrot, in answer, 

 said ' Yes, I ; and I know well enough how to do 

 it,' — clucking, at the same time, in imitation of 

 the notes of a hen when calling together her young. 



" The author of the memoir, in which the 

 account of this Parrot is contained, says, that he 

 had it directly from Prince Maurice, who remarked, 

 that although the Parrot spoke in a language he 

 did not understand, yet he could not be deceived ; 

 for he had in the room, both a Dutchman who 

 spoke Brazilian, and a Brazilian who spoke Dutch ; 

 and that he asked them separately and privately, 

 and both agreed exactly in their account of the 

 Parrot's discourse." 



Willughby mentions a curious story of a Parrot. 

 He says, " A Parrot belonging to King Henry VII, 

 who then resided at Westminster, in his palace by 

 the river Thames, was learned to talk many words 

 from the passengers, as they happened to take the 

 water. One day, sporting on its perch, the poor 

 bird fell into the water, at the same time crying 

 out as loud as he could, A boat! twenty pounds for 

 a boat ! A waterman, who happened to be near, 

 hearing the cry, made to the place where the Parrot 

 was floating, and, taking him up, restored him to 

 the king, as it seems the bird was a favourite." 



We are informed by Clusius, that " A certain 

 Brazilian woman, that lived in a village two miles 

 distant from the islanrl on which w r rc^sided, had a 



