ASH-CO LOURED OR GREY PARROT. 
127 
by a Cardinal. Its merits, however, appear to have 
been of a kind well calculated at that period to 
create an unusual degree of astonishment, and a 
feeling of the marvellous, as it had learned to repeat 
with clearness, and without hesitation, the whole o> 
the Apostles' creed. Willughby, also, in his old 
and excellent work on Ornithology', mentions the 
high prices brought by Parrots of various species in 
Holland, and other parts of the Continent. To enu- 
merate the various anecdotes related of this bird, 
would not only occupy more space than the nature 
of our work will allow, but would, in a great mea- 
sure, be only repeating what has already so frequent- 
ly been told in the works and compilations of other 
writers. We shall only observe, that, in many of 
the marvellous stories recorded of Parrots, particu- 
larly all such as relate to answers seemingly appro- 
priate and consequent to questions put to them, and 
which some authors would almost seem to imply 
were dictated by intelligence, or that the birds really 
understood the import of what was asked, are mere- 
ly the result, under accidental and fortunate circum- 
stances, of what had previously been taught them 
by frequent repetition, to articulate by rote. 
The imitative propensity of the Parrot, amusing 
as it in general may be, is, however, sometimes to 
be guarded against, and productive of untoward ac- 
cidents, as the following instance related to us will 
shew. A Parrot which was kept upon a quay in a 
sea-port town, had learned the term, with its appro- 
