BLUE-FRONTED AMAZON. 
101 
show that he had at least some idea of the use of words, some com- 
prehension of the import of what he was saying. 
That a Parrot is possessed of wit, or irony, is incredible, but that 
he does attach a meaning to certain words is, we think, incontestible. 
It must be remembered that some of these birds are much more 
intelligent than others, and in this respect the males appear to excel 
the females, which are usually incapable of learning much. To this 
rule there are certainly exceptions, but these are few and far between; 
a good talking bird may safely be set down as a male, and a quiet, 
silent, meditative one as a female. Speech, however, being ' c silvern'’ , 
and silence ff golden* J , it follows that the lady birds have the advantage 
over their mates in the matter of true intelligence : vivent les clames ! 
The Hon. and Rev. F. G. Dutton's account of the 
Blue-fronted Amazon (Chrysotis sestiva). 
This, next to the Grey Parrot, is about the commonest Parrot kept. 
It never, however, fetches as low a price. One may buy a Grey Parrot 
for fifteen shillings, but Amazons are generally about twenty-five 
shillings. It is one of the best to keep, as it learns quickly to talk, 
and when it becomes a good talker, gives up screaming. I find them 
a better-tempered Parrot, as a rule, than the Grey. They are more 
apt at imitating sounds than the Grey Parrot. The Grey does not 
pick up laughing, crying, and such like sounds as the Amazon does. 
The Amazon, too, has a special power of giving the idea of a con- 
versation. You hear no word distinctly, but you would certainly say 
two people were talking together. An Amazon, too, talks much more 
freely before strangers than a Grey; and certainly one that really talks 
well is to be preferred to a Grey for that reason. But though I have 
had Amazons which ceased to scream when they had learnt to talk, 
they are not sure to give it up, and if a Grey becomes a talker, it 
almost always does. In that respect the Grey is the better bird to 
keep. The Amazon is unlike the Grey in this: when people notice 
it, it will spread its tail and wings, and contract its pupils, like a 
Bengal Parrakeet; I have never seen a Grey Parrot do anything of 
the sort. And, like the Bengal, the Amazon sometimes gives you a 
nip when in this state of excitement. 
They are remarkably hardy birds, and can easily be taught to fly 
about loose, and find their way home. But I do not let my Amazons 
out, if they are good talkers. Giving them their liberty makes them 
forget their talking and return to screaming. 
