PARROT. 
433 
the nest. The following fact deserves particular at- 
tention : M. Passeri, observing the growth of the 
young parrot, and fearing lest the scaldino should 
be too small to hold the mother and her young one, 
took a basket lined with feathers, &c., and put it 
in the place of the scaldino, behind the door. The 
mother went and seated herself in it immediately, 
and appeared to be very well satisfied with the new 
habitation ; but some hours after she began to cut 
away one side of the basket with her bill, and in 
three days accomplished her job, having made an 
opening of four or five inches in the lower part, and 
six or seven in the upper. The osier was cut as 
neatly as if the sharpest knife had been employed. 
There can be no doubt that the mother’s object was 
to facilitate the departure of the young bird from 
the basket, when he had acquired the requisite 
strength in his legs. When this account was writ- 
ten the young bird was growing very fast, and it 
was supposed he would exceed his parents in size. 
Among the many parrots that have been im- 
ported into this country, we have not heard of any 
whose imitative talent could be compared with the 
one which colonel O’Kelly purchased at Bristol. 
He gave a hundred guineas for the bird, which not 
only repeated a great number of sentences, and 
answered many questions, but was also able to 
whistle many tunes. It appeared to have an accu- 
rate ear for music, would beat time while it whistled 
a tune ; and if by chance it mistook a note, it would 
revert to the bar where the mistake was made, and, 
2 F 
VOL. i. 
