xxxviii INTRODUCTION. 
rationality. She was, at the time of her decease, supposed to 
be more than thirty years of age. The colonel was repeat- 
edly offered five hundred guineas a year for the bird, by 
persons who wished to make a public exhibition of her ; but 
out of tenderness to his favorite he constantly refused the 
offer. 
The story related by Goldsmith of a parrot belonging to 
King Henry the Seventh, is very amusing, and possibly true. It 
was kept in a room in the Palace of Westminster, overlooking 
the Thames, and had naturally enough learned a store of boat- 
men’s phrases ; one day, sporting somewhat incautiously. Poll 
fell into the river, but had rationality enough, it appears, to 
make a profitable use of the words she had learned, and ac- 
cordingly vociferated, “ A boat ! twenty pounds for a boat ! ” 
This welcome sound reaching the ears of a waterman, soon 
brought assistance to the Parrot, who delivered it to the 
king, with a request to be paid the round sum so readily prom- 
ised by the bird ; but his Majesty, dissatisfied with the exor- 
bitant demand, agreed, at any rate, to give him what the 
bird should now award; in answer to which reference, Poll 
shrewdly cried, “ Give the knave a groat ! ” 
The story given by Locke, in his “ Essay on the Human 
Understanding,” though approaching closely to rationality, and 
apparently improbable, may not be a greater effort than could 
have been accomplished by Colonel O’ Kelly’s bird. This 
Parrot had attracted the attention of Prince Maurice, then 
governor of Brazil, who had a curiosity to witness its powers. 
The bird was introduced into the room, where sat the prince 
in company with several Hutchmen. On viewing them, the 
Parrot exclaimed, in Portuguese, “ What a company of white 
men are here ! ” Pointing to the prince, they asked, “ Who is 
that man?” to which the Parrot replies, “ Some general or 
Other.” The prince now asked, “ From what place do you 
come?” The answer was, “From Marignan.” “To whom 
do you belong?” It answered, “To a Portuguese.” “What 
do you do there? ” To which the Parrot replied, “ I look after 
chickens ! ” The prince, now laughing, exclaimed, “ V^u look 
