INTRODUCTION. 
X.XXVll 
which I had caught and placed in a tumbler. On all such 
occasions his looks of capricious surprise were very amusing ; he 
cautiously approached the glass with fanning and closing wings, 
and in an under-tone confessed his surprise at the address and 
jumping motion of the huge insect. At length he became 
bolder, and perceiving it had a relation to his ordinary prey of 
beetles, he, with some hesitation, ventured to snatch at the 
prisoner between temerity and playfulness. But when really 
alarmed or offended, he instantly flew to his loftiest perch, for- 
bid all friendly approaches, and for some time kept up his low 
and angry tsherr. My late friend, the venerable William Bar- 
tram, was also much amused by the intelligence displayed by 
this bird, and relates that one which he kept, being fond of 
hard bread-crumbs, found, when they grated his throat, a very 
rational remedy in softening them, by soaking in his vessel of 
water ; he likewise, by experience, discovered that the painful 
prick of the wasps on which he fed, could be obviated by ex- 
tracting their stings. But it would be too tedious and minute 
to follow out these glimmerings of intelligence, which exist 
as well in birds as in our most sagacious quadrupeds. The 
remarkable talent of the Parrot for imitating the tones of the 
human voice has long been familiar. The most extraordinary 
and well -authenticated account of the actions of one of the 
common ash-colored species is that of a bird which Colonel 
O’Kelly bought for a hundred guineas at Bristol. This indi- 
vidual not only repeated a great number of sentences, but 
answered many questions, and was able to whistle a variety of 
tunes. While thus engaged it beat time with all the appear- 
ance of science, and possessed a judgment, or ear so accurate, 
that if by chance it mistook a note, it would revert to the bar 
where the mistake was made, correct itself, and still beating 
regular time, go again through the whole with perfect exact- 
ness. So celebrated was this surprising bird that an obituary 
notice of its death appeared in the “ General Evening Post ” 
for the 9th of October, 1802. In this account it is added, that 
besides her great musical faculties, she could express her wants 
articulately, and give her orders in a manner approaching to 
