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[Illustration: "Oh, dear! oh, dear me!" Page 85.]
[Illustration: MINNIE and her PETS
BY MRS. MADELINE LESLIE
MINNIE'S PET PARROT.]
MINNIE'S PET PARROT.
BY
MRS. MADELINE LESLIE,
AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER,"
ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD,
1864.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by
A. R. BAKER,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
Massachusetts.
ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.
TO MY YOUNG FRIEND,
HENRY FOWLE DURANT, JR.
=These Little Volumes=
ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR,
IN THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THEY MAY INCREASE IN HIM THAT
LOVE OF NATURE AND OF RURAL LIFE WHICH HAS EVER
EXERTED SO SALUTARY AN INFLUENCE IN THE
FORMATION OF THE CHARACTERS OF
THE WISE AND GOOD.
MINNIE AND HER PETS.
Minnie's Pet Parrot.
Minnie's Pet Cat.
Minnie's Pet Dog.
Minnie's Pet Horse.
Minnie's Pet Lamb.
Minnie's Pet Monkey.
INTRODUCTION.
The object of these little books is not so much to give full, scientific
information with regard to the animals of which they treat, as to bring
before the child such facts concerning them as shall interest him in
their history, awaken a desire to know more of the particular traits of
each, and especially lead him to be kind to them as a part of God's
creation.
Natural history we deem, according to the opinion of an eminent writer,
as "not only the most captivating of the sciences, but the most
humanizing. It is impossible to study the character and habits of the
lower animals without imbibing an interest in their wants and feelings."
Dr. Chalmers, who was famous for his interest in the brute creation,
says, "To obtain the regards of man's heart in behalf of the lower
animals, we should strive to draw his mind toward them. The poor brutes
look, tremble, and give the signs of suffering, as we do. A threatened
blow strikes them with terror, and they have the same distortions of
agony on the infliction of it. Their blood circulates as ours does. They
sicken, and grow feeble with age, and finally die, as we do. They
possess also instincts which expose them to suffering in another
quarter. The lioness, robbed of her whelps, makes the wilderness ring
with her cries; and the little bird, whose tender household has been
stolen, fills and saddens all the grove with her pathetic melody."
The author has been careful to select only facts well authenticated. She
takes this opportunity to acknowledge most gratefully her indebtedness
to those friends who have contributed original anecdotes which have come
under their own observation; and also to state that she has quoted from
most of the popular English works on these subjects, prominent among
which are Jesse, Richardson, and Hamilton, on dogs; Youatt, the Ettrick
Shepherd, and Randall, on sheep; Morris, Brown's Natural History,
Chambers's Miscellany, etc.
She has been greatly encouraged, in the preparation of these volumes for
the young, by the flattering reception of the previous productions of
her pen. If these should meet with similar favor, they may be followed
by other volumes of the same character and objects.
THE AUTHOR.
MINNIE'S PET PARROT.
CHAPTER I.
MINNIE AND HER PARROT.
In these little books, I am going to tell you about Minnie, her home,
and her pets; and I hope it will teach every boy and every girl who
reads them to be kind to animals, as Minnie was. Minnie Lee had a
pleasant home. She was an only child, and as her parents loved to
please her, they procured every thing which they thought would make her
happy. The first pet Minnie had was a beautiful tortoise-shell kitten,
which she took in her baby arms and hugged tightly to her bosom. After a
time, her father, seeing how much comfort she took with kitty, bought
her a spaniel. He already had a large Newfoundland dog; but Mrs. Lee
was unwilling to have him come into the house, saying that in summer he
drew the flies, and in winter he dirtied her hearth rugs. So Leo, as the
great dog was called, was condemned to the barn, while Tiney could rove
through the parlors and chambers whenever he pleased.
In Minnie's seventh year, her father bought her a Shetland pony and a
lamb, which he told her was called a South Down--a rare and valuable
breed. The little girl now thought her hands quite full; but only the
next Christmas, when her uncle came home from sea, he told her he had
brought an addition to her pets; and true enough, when his luggage came
from town, there was a bag containing a real, live monkey, named Jacko.
These, with the silver-gray parrot, which had been in the family for
years, gave Minnie employment from morning till night.
You will wonder, perhaps, that one child should have so many pets; and,
indeed, the parrot belonged to her mother; but when I tell you that,
though her parents had had six children, she was the only one remaining
to them, and that in her infancy she was very sickly, you will not
wonder so much. The doctor said that their only hope of bringing her up
was to keep her in the open air as much as possible.
"Let her have a run with Leo," he used to say; or, "Get her a horse, and
teach her to ride. That will do her more good than medicine."
When her father came home from town, if he did not see his little
daughter on the lawn, playing with Fidelle, the cat, and Tiney, the dog,
he was almost sure to find her in the shed where Jacko's cage was kept,
with Miss Poll perching on her shoulder.
When visitors called and asked to see her, her mother would laugh, as
she answered, "I'm sure I don't know where the child is, she has so many
pets."
Minnie was not allowed to study much in books; indeed, she scarcely knew
how to read at all; yet she was not an ignorant child, for her father
and mother took great pains to teach her. She knew the names of all the
different trees on her father's place, and of all the flowers in her
mother's garden; but her favorite study was the natural history of
beasts and birds; and nothing gave her so much pleasure as to have her
father relate anecdotes of their intelligence and sagacity.
He had a large, well-selected library, where were many rare volumes on
her favorite subject, illustrated with pictures of different animals.
When Mr. Lee could not recall a story as often as she wished, she would
take his hand and coax him to the library. Then she would run up the
steps to her favorite shelf, and taking down a book almost as large as
she could lift, say, playfully, "Now, father, I'm ready for you to
read."
Mrs. Lee often found them sitting together, talking over the wonderful
feats of some dog, cat, horse, or monkey, and laughed as she said to her
husband, "I believe Minnie comes naturally by her love for animals, for
you seem as much interested in the stories as she does."
Mr. Lee lived in a very handsome house about seven miles from the city
where he did business. He had made a great deal of money by sending
ships to foreign lands, freighted with goods, which he sold there in
exchange for others which were needed at home. He now lived quite at his
ease, with plenty of servants to do his bidding, and horses and
carriages to carry him wherever he wished to go.
* * * * *
But in this volume I shall speak of himself, his family, equipage, and
estate, only as they are connected with my object, which is to tell you
about Minnie's pet parrot, and also to relate stories of other parrots,
all of which are strictly true.
Poll was brought from the coast of Africa by a sea captain, who
presented her to a lady, aunt to Mrs. Lee. At the lady's death it was
given to her niece, and had been an important member of the family ever
since. It was not known how old she was when she was brought to
America; but she had been in the family for fifteen years, and therefore
was old enough to know how to behave herself properly on all occasions.
Miss Poll had a plumage of silver-gray feathers, with a brilliant
scarlet tail. Her eyes were a bright yellow, with black pupils, and
around them a circle of small white feathers. Her beak was large and
strong, hooked at the end. Her tongue was thick and black. Her claws
were also black, and she could use them as freely as Minnie used her
hands. When her mistress offered her a cup of tea,--a drink of which she
was very fond,--she took it in her claws, and drank it as gracefully as
any lady.
In the morning, when her cage was cleaned, she always had a cup of
canary seed; but at other times she ate potato, cracker, bread, apple,
and sometimes a piece of raw meat. She liked, too, to pick a chicken
bone, and would nibble away upon it, laughing and talking to herself in
great glee.
Miss Poll, I am sorry to say, was very proud and fond of flattery. If
Mrs. Lee went to the cage, and put out her finger for the bird to light
upon it, and did not praise her, she would often bite it. But if she
said, "Sweet Poll! dear Poll! she is a darling!" she would arch her
beautiful neck, and look as proud as any proud miss. Then she would tip
her head, and put her claws in her mouth, just like a bashful little
girl.
Poll was exceedingly fond of music, and learned a tune by hearing it
played a few times; but she had a queer habit of leaving off in the
middle of a line, when she would whistle for the dog, or call out,
"Leo, come here! lie down, you rascal!"
Poll was very fond of Minnie, and indeed of all children.
When she saw the little girl come into the room with her bonnet on, she
exclaimed, in a natural tone, "Going out, hey?" When Minnie laughed, she
would laugh too, and keep repeating, "Going out? Good by."
Parrots are said to be very jealous birds, and are displeased to have
any attention shown to other pets.
I think Poll was so, and that she was angry when she saw Minnie show so
much kindness to Fidelle. One day she thought she would punish the
kitty; so she called, "Kitty, kitty," in the most sweet, coaxing tones.
Puss seemed delighted, and walked innocently up to the cage, which
happened to be set in a chair.
"Kitty, kitty," repeated Poll, until she had the little creature within
reach of her claws, when she suddenly caught her, and bit her ears and
her tail, Fidelle crying piteously at this unexpected ill treatment,
until some one came to rescue her. Then puss crept softly away to the
farther end of the room, and hid under a chair, where she began to lick
her wounded tail, while Poll laughed and chuckled over the joke.