nson, "is an insulated bird. Its manners and
general structure, and the mode of using its feet, as described by
naturalists, are different from any other bird. Mr. Vigors, Mr.
Swainson, and others, consider parrots the only group among birds which
is completely _sui generis_. A parrot will, by means of its beak, and
aided by its thick, fleshy tongue, clear the inside of a fresh pea from
the outer skin, rejecting the latter, and performing the whole process
with the greatest ease.

"In climbing, I presume you have noticed, she uses her hooked beak as
well as her feet; and in feeding she rests on one foot, holding the
food to her beak with the other. Her plumage is generally richly-tinted,
while in some varieties, like this, it is superb. In all kinds the skin
throws off a mealy powder, which saturates the feathers and makes them
greasy."

"Please, papa," cried Lizzie, "to tell about these birds as you saw them
in their own country."

"I suppose, Minnie," continued the gentleman, "that you know this is
not the home of your favorite bird. You never see them at liberty and
flying from tree to tree, as you do the robin or bluebird."

"Yes, sir, I know that. Uncle Frank was going to bring me another parrot
from South America, but mother thought one was enough."

"I quite agree with you," said Mrs. Monson, enthusiastically, "I can
scarcely be reconciled to the noise of one, rousing me at all sorts of
unreasonable hours, and keeping up such a clatter through the whole
day."

"They are confined to the warmer climates," the gentleman went on, "and
are most abundant in the tropics. I have seen a flock of them resting in
a grove of trees, chattering and talking like a company of politicians
at a caucus. They are indeed very noisy, keeping together in large
flocks, and feeding upon fruits, buds, and seeds. At night they crowd
together as closely as possible, and hiding their heads under their
wings, sleep soundly. As soon as the first ray of light can be
discerned, they are all awake, chatting over the business for the day.
First they make their toilet, and in this they assist each other, being
very fond of pluming each other's feathers.

"One peculiarity of this bird is, that he has but one wife, and never
marries again. The pairs form lasting attachments, and when one dies the
mate sometimes mourns itself to death. They make a kind of nest in the
hollow trees, and there bring up their young. They belong to the
scansorial