Excerpt from Bird Notes, Vol. 5

My Senegal has a very individual character of his own, and shows great determination and persistence in trying to get his own way. He is extremely affec tionate, but has a very hasty temper, and if spoken to harshly, gets at once into a rage, which is, however, over in a minute. He understands all I say to him, and makes me understand everything he wants either to do or to have. And that is generally the same thingevery day at the same hour. For example, he is accustomed to have sopped toast every morning at breakfast, and if I do not give it to him at once, he calls me by name until he gets it. He will learn to say anything he hears a few times, and imitates the cries of all other creatures, including those of street urchins. We have had several cats since I had the bird, and he never shows any fear of them, and more than once he has played about on the floor with a cat nearly full-grown. On one occasion the cat upset the table on which his cage stood, apparently without upsetting in any way the mental equilibrium of the parrot, who was found quite calm and told us he was all right as well as he could. He knows those who are not afraid of him, and they can do what they like with him, but I never allow him to go close to those who are afraid of him, as he is likely to bite them, Of course he has bitten me many times, on occasions when I crossed him, but he has never offered to bite a man or anyone who is a stranger to him.

He loves to be out of his cage, and in the evening after daylight is gone, will sit for hours on a little stand, or on my shoulder. In the day he wants to be biting my hair or dress, so I cannot have him on me very much. He never seems to feel the cold weather, and summer and winter his cage stands by an open Window. I was rather surprised to be told by a keeper at the Zoo. That three fine specimens of the Senegal Parrot had died, not long after they had been placed there. However, that was some years ago, and -i hope that under the improved con ditions those they now have will flourish. I think that if I had never owned the Ideal Parrot ofwhom I wrote some years ago, I should consider it impossible to have a more interesting and lovable pet than my Senegal. C. L. Collier.

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