i88 3 J 
3 
Speech in Animals , 
members of the writer’s family, rarely failing to utter them 
on sight of their bearers, but never pronounced them at any 
other time. 
The following case, communicated by M. l’Abbe Gras to 
“ Cosmos les Mondes ” (061. 21, 1882, p. 297), refers to an 
African grey parrot which was at first very wild and timid, 
and which M. Gras has kept for four years in company with 
a green Brazilian parrot, which was previously very tame, 
though less intelligent. He names the grey parrot Coco 
and the green one Cocotte. When being put back into the 
cage, Coco calls out “We are going to the cage.” If a 
supply of seeds is given her, she says “ Here is something 
good.” When swinging, she cries “ Coco is swinging.” If 
her companion screams, she says “ Come, Cocotte, don’t 
scream ; sing ! ” If Cocotte sings, Coco exclaims “ You 
sing well ; oh, very well ! ” The two birds were walking in 
the dining-room, and Cocotte began to sing ; Coco said 
“ Some one is singing.” When asked “ Who is singing ? ” 
she answered “ Cocotte.” The latter bird on one occasion 
went under the sideboard, when Coco, looking down, cried 
“ What are you doing there, Cocotte?” M. Gras was 
giving some direbtions to his housekeeper, when Coco ex- 
claimed “ How, don’t you understand ? ” The worthy Abbe 
vouches for the exa6t truth of all the above fa6ts, and adds 
that he has numerous witnesses who can corroborate what 
he asserts. 
These and many other authentic cases which are on 
record, but which it is not necessary here to repeat, show 
that such birds attach a definite meaning to certain phrases, 
and use them just as do we human beings. The contention 
may still, however, be raised that such birds do not under- 
stand the individual words, but merely the phrase or sentence 
as a whole. 
Supposing, however, that this is the case, we must admit 
that such is the precise manner in which human children 
acquire the knowledge and use of language. The child 
learns a phrase as a whole, connebls it with the object or 
occasion to which it is appropriate, but does not for some 
time resolve it into its component parts and employ these in 
new combinations. But we have observed that intelligent 
parrots do occasionally vary their stock phrases by fitting in 
additional words or leaving out some of the old ones. Thus 
a parrot belonging to the present writer one day saluted a 
lady visitor with “ Good morning, duckey ! ” — a combination 
which the bird had never heard. 
Another interesting point of comparison here appears 
