152 
Birds and Floivers. 
Polly, however, was a shocking glutton. She 
used to become quite ill by intemperance in 
bread and milk, and yet she would sit on the- 
table and declare she was hungry, and say, “ Poor 
Polly, give poor Polly some.” 
A very good food for Parrots is bread dipped 
into cold water, pressed dry, and mixed perhaps 
with a little milk. Fruit of all kinds they are 
very fond of, especially nuts and almonds. The 
less meat they have the better for their health and 
plumage, but they should have always a most 
abundant supply of water, both to drink and 
bathe in. 
Talking birds, as a rule, are generally rather large,, 
and perhaps more curious than delightful ; but 
cases are known of even Finches, brought up by 
people, learning to repeat two or three words 
intelligibly. I think myself, however, that it is 
chiefly a sort of likeness caught to the time and 
tone in which the actual words are pronounced. 
