Walter Goodfellow—Some Reminiscences of a Collector 449


hammock in the forest, “ Lora ” was let out. One day when I wanted

to put her back I found she had climbed to the top of the tree, and

as she was not to be enticed down I pretended to leave her and started

to ride off. She gave a scream and very quickly came down. It was

amusing sometimes to see her sitting in the big tree frequented by

the Black Turkey Vultures, such very ill assorted companions. She

commenced by sleeping on a bracket specially made for her in my

room, to which she retired of her own accord at sundown, but after a

time it worried me to hear her constantly stamping and fluttering her

wings to keep off the mosquitos, so one night I brought her under

my net where she slept comfortably on my shoulder. From that night

she would never stop on her bracket after I came to bed, and got so

used to my movements in the night that, as I turned, she automatically

climbed to the other shoulder ; and here her delicate instincts showed

up, for she never once soiled the bed. The first night she came in she

woke me up by saying “ Lora, Lora,” in my ear, so I just stroked

her, but still there was something else she wanted, and finally walked

down my arm and pulled my fingers. At last it dawned on me, so

I lifted the net and held her outside, when, after relieving herself, she

quickly ran back up my arm. After that a paper was laid on the floor,

and, once every night I either had my fingers pulled, or heard “ Lora ”

whisper in my ear. Surely Macaws are the most intelligent of all

Parrots, and I think mine the most intelligent of them all, so

much so that over here people used to think her almost uncanny

at times.


As I have said before, I had a long and arduous journey out of

the country and how I got her home I hardly know, as I was very

ill for a great part of the time and very short of food, so I was often

at my wits’ end to know what to give her. Moreover, we had to find

a way down endless rivers, cross swamps, and endure untold hardships

before we finally reached the Mamore on the western frontier of Brazil,

where our troubles ended. For two consecutive nights on one river

we were attacked by Indians. When we reached Liverpool we had

to part as I sent “ Lora ” straight on to Hoddam Castle until I decided

upon her future, and when two weeks later I went there myself I was

surprised when Mr. Brook said “We give 4 Lora ’ jpututu whenever



