The Nursery, No. 109, January, 1876, Vol. XIX. | Page 5

seen it of a bright green,
also, red and gray. These birds were well known to the ancient Greeks
and Romans, who got them mostly from India and Africa.
The parrot, as every child knows, can be taught to talk. This power it
shares with some other birds whose tongues are thick, round, and
almost the same in form as that of the parrot. Starlings, blackbirds, jays,

jackdaws, and ravens can imitate the human voice.
The parrot imitates all the noises it hears--the mewing of cats, the
barking of dogs, and the cries of birds--as easily as it imitates speech.
The parrots brought from Africa seem to prefer imitating the voices of
children, and, on that account, more easily receive their education from
them.
[Illustration]
But the gray parrot imitates the grave tones of older persons. A parrot
from Guinea, taught on the voyage by an old sailor, had caught up his
hoarse voice and cough perfectly. Afterwards, owned and taught by a
young girl, it did not forget the lessons of its first master. It was
amusing to hear this bird pass from a soft, girlish voice to his hoarse
and sailor-like tone.
Not only has the parrot the power of imitating the human voice, but it
seems to wish to do so. This is shown by its attention in listening, and
by the efforts it makes to repeat every word. It will often repeat words
or sounds that no one has taken the trouble to teach it.
A parrot which had grown old with its master, and shared with him the
pains of old age, being used to hear but little more than the words, "I
am very ill," when asked, "What is the matter, Polly?" answered in a
dismal tone, and stretching itself, "I am very ill."
The language of the parrot is not wanting in ideas. When you ask one if
it has breakfasted, it knows well how to answer you, if it has satisfied
its hunger. It will not tell you that it has breakfasted when this is not the
case: at least, you cannot force it to say "No" when it ought to say
"Yes."
I have heard of a parrot, which, when pleased, would laugh most
heartily, and then cry out, "Don't make me laugh so! I shall die, I shall
die." The bird would also mimic sobbing, and exclaim, "So bad, so bad!
got such a cold!" If any one happened to cough, the parrot would
remark, "What a bad cold!"

UNCLE CHARLES.
* * * * *
[Illustration: THE SEA-SWALLOW.]
* * * * *

[Illustration]
LITTLE RUTH'S PRAYER.
Stormy and chilly had been the day; Drifts of snow on the sidewalk lay:
All who were out in the wintry street Went shivering on with rapid feet;
And some were poor, and thinly clad, And wished that a good warm
home they had.
But, gloomy without, it was bright within, In the house where our little
Ruth had been: By the nursery fireside's cheerful blaze Merry had been
her thoughts and plays; She had dressed her dolls for a fancy ball, And
read her story-books one and all.
But when, at the close of the happy day, She knelt, her one little prayer
to say, She thought of the hungry, perishing poor, Of the children who
cold and sorrow endure, And, laying her head on her mother's knee,
Said, "Give them, O Father, all you give me!"
DORA BURNSIDE.

ARTHUR'S MISHAP.
I am a little boy, three years old, named Arthur; and I want to tell you
what happened to me last summer.
I went down to the seashore to visit my grandmamma, alone, without
mamma, or Mary, my nurse. Grandpapa took me in the cars, and I staid

almost a week. I had a good time; for they have horses and cows and
pigs and chickens, and a swing.
One day, Aunt Anna and I went to the duck-pond. I had a rod and line,
and made believe fish. Aunt Anna turned away for a minute, and, when
she looked around, all she could see of me was my hat, floating on the
water. I had tumbled in, and was way down at the bottom of the pond.
But I soon rose to the top; and Aunt Anna reached over, and pulled me
out, and ran up to the house with me in her arms. I did not cry at all, but
coughed and sputtered a little, and told her I didn't like that old
duck-pond.
Grandmamma took off all my wet clothes, and wrapped me in a blanket,
and sang me to sleep. When I waked up, I felt all right. I got a good
drink of water when I was in the pond; but I don't mean to go