OBEY PARROT. 
43 
displayed the greatest affection. When he received food from her, 
he kissed her hand with his beak, and said: ‘I kiss the lady's hand/ 
He took great interest in everything his mistress did, and often, when 
he saw her busy about anything, would inquire, with extremely comical 
earnestness: ‘Well, what is the lady doing there?' and when she was 
removed by death, and he no longer saw her, he also felt the loss 
and sorrowed. It was difficult to persuade him to take food, and to 
keep him alive. Often too he would re-waken the grief of the mourners, 
by asking them: ‘But where is the lady then?’ 
“He whistled wonderfully, especially the tune Ich dank dir durch 
dienen Sohn; he also sang beautifully. ‘Polly must sing a song', he 
would remind himself, and then begin : 
’ IVrroquet mignon, dis-naoi sans fagon, 
Qu’a-t-on fait dans ma maison, 
Pendant mon absence? 
or the following couplet: 
‘Ohne Lieb und ohne Wein, 
Konnen wir docb leben. 
Occasionally he would alter this to, 
‘Ohne Lieb und ohne maison, 
Konnen wir doch leben.’ 
or he would substitute ‘Ein Kuss— sans fagon,' which amused ^him 
so much that he laughed loudly. ‘Polly, what does Lotty say?' he 
would ask himself sometimes, and answer at once, as if some one 
else had asked him the question: ‘0 my lovely, lovely Polly, come 
and kiss me.' This was spoken with the correct accent of tenderness, 
as only Lotty could say it. His self-approbation he expressed by the 
words: ‘Ah! ha! how lovely Polly is!' stroking his beak at the same 
time with his claw. • 
“He was, however, by no means beautiful, as he had the bad kabi 
of plucking out his own feathers. Wine baths were ordered for him 
as a remedy, which were administered by means of a small syringe 
These baths were extremely disagreeable to him; as soon as e no ice 
the preparations being made, he began to plead coaxmgly: Hon t maKe 
Polly wet— oh! poor Polly— don’t— make— him— wet ! He was not 
fond of strangers; those who came to see him, and hear mi sped , 
generally were only able to gratify their curiosity by hiding themselves 
from him. In their presence he remained as quiet as a mouse; bu 
began to talk faster than ever as soon as they had taken leave, or 
concealed themselves, as if to indemnify himself for his self-impose 
