HERE we have a picture of the best, with possibly one exception, the
African Gray, of the talking parrots. Its home is in Mexico, about the
wooded bottoms of La Cruz river, in the province of Taumaulipas, on the
east coast. It is a wild, picturesque region of swamps, jungles, and
savannahs, with here and there a solitary hacienda or farm-house, where
three hundred or four hundred persons are at work in the fertile soil.
Here, three hundred miles south of Matamoras, the nearest American
settlement, is the spot where your pet Parrot, says an exchange, probably
first opened its eyes to the light of day stealing through the branches of
the ebony and coma trees, amid surroundings that might to an imaginary
Polly suggest the first dawn of creation. The forests in this region abound
in all kinds of birds in rich plumage. Parrakeets are so abundant that what
with the screeching and cawing of the Parrots it is sometimes impossible to
hear one's own voice. Hunters do not trouble themselves to secure them,
however, as they are not worth carrying to market. There is apparently a
profit only in the Double Yellow-head, for which the hunters get as much as
$20.00. There are two kinds of Mexican Parrots, both of which are held in
far different esteem. The only Mexican Parrot that is in general demand as
a talking pet is the Double Yellow-head, which with age develops a yellow
hood that extends completely over its head and shoulders. In connection
with the "speaking" of Parrots, one of the most curious circumstances is
that recorded by Humboldt, who in South America met with a venerable bird
which remained the sole possessor of a literally dead language, the whole
tribe of Indians who alone had spoken it having become extinct.
The Parrot builds no nest. The female selects a deep hollow in the highest
tree trunk and there lays two eggs. This occurs about the first of May. The
young are hatched about the 15th of June, ten days elapse before they can
open their eyes, and several weeks must be allowed for the young birds to
outgrow their squab state and gain sufficient strength to be removed from
the care of their parents. The Parrot is a wily and wise bird. It lays its
eggs safely out of reach of ordinary danger and takes good care not to
betray their whereabouts. When the young birds are hatched they are fed
twice a day by their elders, early in the morning and again about the close
of day. The birds in feeding their young give vent to a series of contented
clucks and chuckles, which is answered by the young ones. These birds live
on mangoes and the nuts of the ebony tree.
Newton observes, that considering the abundance of Parrots both as species
and individuals, it is surprising how little is known of their habits in a
wild state.
It is probable that no other bird has been more admired or more thoroughly
execrated. If it is good natured, is an interesting talker, and you happen
to be in a mood to listen to it with some pleasure, you will speak
favorably of the bird, saying to it: "Pretty Polly! pretty Polly!" but
should your nerves be unstrung and every noise a source of irritation, the
rasping, high-pitched screech of a Parrot, which is a nuisance in any
neighborhood, will be beyond endurance. We shall always be satisfied with
the possession of Polly's picture as she was.
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