PETER AND HIS RE RATIONS. 
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the ends of pencils. I think he is the most lovable pet I have 
ever had. He was brought to me as an infant, neglected, 
dirty and ragged. Torn from his parents at that tender 
age, his affectionate nature clung to me, and he seemed as if 
he could not live without me. He would follow me from 
room to room and sit under my chair, and if I called to 
him from any distance, he would answer me. He is older 
now and more independent, but he still feels lonely with- 
out human society. He keeps up an affectation of a very 
bad temper, rushing at my fingers with barks and threats, 
but he is never rude towards my face. He treats my lips 
with touching tenderness, and I often allow him to amuse 
himself trying to draw my teeth. 
Parrots are almost always spoken of in the feminine 
gender, but half of them are masculine. Peter has not 
determined his sex yet, so I have given him the benefit 
of the doubt. 
There can be no question that parrots have more 
intellect than any other kind of bird, and it is this that 
makes them such favourite pets and brings upon them so 
many sorrows. Every cold season you will see in the 
Crawford Market in Bombay large basket cages, made for 
carrying chickens to the bazaar, but now filled with 
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