PETER AND HIS RELATIONS. 
151 
read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, 
speak a few reasonable words.” But he dimly feels the 
truth which these wise words set forth. The narrow 
circle of the poor parrot’s cage does not allow it to 
turn without breaking the long blue feathers of its 
beautiful tail, and the roseate tints of its head lose their 
lustre when long shut out from the influence of the sun ; 
but at the worst it is a lovely bird. The head of the 
female is of a bluish plum colour, and the young ones 
in the market are green all over, but you may always 
distinguish them by their yellow beaks. The voice of this 
parrot is musical and bearable even when it screams. 
The fourth kind is the Blue-winged Parrakeet, and to 
this Peter belongs. It is a forest bird and keeps away 
from man and his habitations. It has no rosy nead, or 
pink collar, but the dark greens of its upper parts, and 
the fine grey and dove colour of its head and breast 
make it a handsome bird. The quill feathers are deep 
blue, and the beak of the male is red, while that of the 
female is black. Peter has not come of age yet. His 
dress, though tasteful, is plain, and his beak reminds one 
of that metaphor in “Hudibras,” 
“Now, like a lobster boiled, the morn 
From black to red began to turn.” 
