Proud of her triumph, the parrot gave a loud "Ha! ha! ha!" swung on her perch with her head downward, sprang about the cage, tossed a piece of wood over her head, and kept repeating the cry, followed by peals of "Ha! ha! ha!" till everybody joined in her wild laugh.
The parrot has a good memory and will pick up a good many words and phrases, even the verses of a song taught to her. Many she gets by listening to words often said and at times will come out with a new bit of apt language to the surprise of every one who hears it. If a word she has once learned comes into her head, she often follows this word with all the other words and sayings learned at the same time.
Here is a parrot story going back as far as 1672, one which was much talked of at the time. It is of an old parrot of Brazil when Prince Maurice was governor there. The Prince was told of the strange talking powers of this bird and sent for it. When it was brought into the room, where were many men with the Prince, it began,
"What is this man?" asked one, pointing to the Prince.
"Some general or other," said the parrot.
"Where did you come from?" asked the Prince.
"You look after the chickens," said the Prince, with a laugh.
"Yes, and I know well enough how to do it," and the parrot began to cluck like a hen calling chickens.
It is hard to believe that a parrot could keep up a conversation in this correct way, but the story comes from Sir William Temple, who is very good authority, and who was told it by the Prince himself.
We are told of a French parrot which could laugh like a man, and would break out into a hearty chuckle when some one said (of course in French), "Laugh, parrot, laugh."
The odd thing was that it would follow the laugh with the words,
"Oh, what a fool to make me laugh!" and repeat this two or three times.
A lady had a gray parrot four years old which was very quick in taking up new words and very correct in using them. When he did some bit of mischief his mistress would scold him, to which he would reply angrily,
"Not a naughty Poll!" "Not a bold, bad bird!" and would stamp his foot, crying "I am not--I am not."
If she praised him he would tell her she was a darling and that he loved her. He was jealous when children were present and were made much of, and would cry,