66 



INTELLECTUAL AND IMITATIVE 



still assailing his ears, he looked earnestly around 

 him, to discover from whence the voice came ; 

 when, to his great surprise, he beheld the Parrot, 

 in a cage, suspended from a public house win- 

 dow, on the beach, vociferating the boatman's 

 expressions. 



Willughby mentions a Parrot, which, when a 

 person said to it, " Laugh, Poll, laugh," it laughed, 

 accordingly ; and, immediately after, screamed 

 out, " What a fool ! to make me laugh." 



A Parrot which had grown old with its master, 

 shared with him the infirmities of age. Being 

 accustomed to hear scarcely any thing but the 

 words, " I am sick," when a person asked it, 

 "How do you do?" "I am sick," it replied, 

 with a doleful tone, stretching itself along, " I 

 am sick." 



In October, 1822, the following announcement 

 appeared in the London papers : — "A few days 

 ago, died, in Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, the cele- 

 brated Parrot of Colonel O'Kelly. This singular 

 bird sang a number of songs, in perfect time and 

 tune. She could express her wants articulately, 

 and give her orders in a manner nearly approaching 

 to rationality. Her age was not known. It was, 

 however, more than thirty years ; for, previous 

 to that period, Colonel O'Kelly bought her, at 

 Bristol, for one hundred guineas. The Colonel 

 was repeatedly offered five hundred guineas a-year 

 for t]ie bird, by persons who wished to make a 

 public exhibition of her; but this, out of tenderness 



