You don't think my mouth is pretty, did you say? Well, that is according
to taste. I think it is. Of course, my bill turns in like a hook, as
Miss Poll Parrot's does, and my tongue is thick like hers, but I fancy I
talk much plainer than she does. Anyway I talk louder. Why, if you
should happen to hear, without seeing me, you would think it was a
man's strong voice talking to a deaf person.
And then my laugh! You should hear me laugh when I'm angry. Whew! Have
you ever heard a hyena in the Zoo? Well, it sounds something like that.
I am a large, handsome bird. My eyes also are large, and so are my feet.
That is the reason I not only talk, but walk Spanish, I suppose.
But, my cap! That is what distinguishes me. You never saw a common
Parrot with a crest like that. When I am angry the feathers stand
straight up, opening and closing just like a lady's fan.
The next time your mamma or papa takes you to the Zoo, turn to the cage
of foreign birds and see if one of our family is not there. Maybe he
will talk to you and maybe he'll not. He would if you could get into his
cage and stroke his head. I am sure he would laugh if you tell him _Mr.
Rose Cockatoo_ sends his love.
THE ROSE COCKATOO.
The Rose Cockatoo, as may be seen, is a remarkably handsome bird. The
species is gregarious, and they are very numerous in South Australia,
where they frequent woods and feed on seeds, fruits, and larvae of
insects. Their note is harsh and unmusical. The young ones tame readily
and some species show remarkable intelligence. They associate in flocks
of from one hundred to one thousand and do great damage to newly planted
grain, for which reason they are mercilessly destroyed by farmers. Two
eggs only, of a pure white color, are laid in the holes of decayed trees
or in the fissures of rocks, according to the nature of the locality in
which they live.
This is a rather large bird, equalling a common fowl in dimensions, and
assuming a much larger form when it ruffles up its feathers while under
the influence of anger. Many of these birds are fine talkers, and their
voice is peculiarly full and loud.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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