140 
TALKING BIRDS 
a short tail, orange legs and beak, and bright yellow 
ear-flaps, which run round to the back of its head like 
a collar. It is a bold, lively bird, with a mellow song 
and whistle of its own. Its power of reproducing 
human speech is wonderful, and it exhibits the 
greatest anxiety that the tones should be correct, first 
repeating them softly to itself, with its head on one 
side, and then shouting out the words. 
In the Insect House at the Zoo there lives a fine 
old mynah, who was “ deposited ” in 1883. While a 
visitor is examining the Indian moths coming out of 
their cocoons, he may hear behind him a thoughtful 
cough, and the “ Hulloa ! ” shouted with startling sud- 
denness. It is the mynah, anxious to be friendly, and 
to begin a conversation. The Hindoo traders in the 
bazaars avail themselves of the mynah’s services in a 
curious way. They teach it to pronounce the holy 
name of Rama ; and while the master’s thoughts are 
on earthly gains intent, the bird compounds for the 
neglect by shouting incessantly the name of the god, 
and texts in honour of his power. If the poet Ovid’s 
Indian parrot finds its way, as he hoped, to the paradise 
of birds, and there 
“ Convertit volucres in sua verba pias,” 
it must surely meet the mynahs also. 
Another bird which talks better than most, and 
whistles better than any, is the piping crow. It is a 
lively black-and-white bird, as large as a rook, but far 
more elegant in form. Several specimens inhabit the 
