It is not parrots only that are capable of learning to pronounce human words, but a considerable number of other foreign and native birds, which, however - as far as our present knowledge extends - are limited to the members of certain families. Nevertheless, we must not maintain the latter opinion as an invariable rule, for of late important exceptions have come to light. Until lately, the birds acknowledged to be gifted with speech belonged only to the ranks of the parrots, particularly the larger species, besides the crow species, the raven and the starling; but lately finches have been added, while, in several cases, canaries have learnt to speak. The parrot tribe is certainly the most noted and important of talking birds, and it is also true that besides the well-known clever talkers, some individuals related to most of the remaining species - even to the Cockatiel, or Wedge-tailed Cockatoo, and down to one of the smallest of all, the well-known Undulated Grass Parrakeet - have proved themselves to be gifted with speech.

Here I would wish to give a general description of all parrots, only the space which I have at my command would not nearly suffice. I, therefore, respectfully refer the reader to my work, "The Foreign Cage Birds," vol. iii. (the Parrots), and "Manual for Bird Fanciers," vol. i. I will only notice here the chief peculiarities of these extremely interesting birds : but, of course, I shall enter more fully into particulars concerning their care and training.

At present there are upwards of 400 kinds of parrots known. A fixed and exact number I am not able to state, because, on the one hand, newly-discovered species come daily under our notice, and, on the other hand - and chiefly - because there are a great many about which ornithologists do not agree whether they belong to a real species, or whether they may only be reckoned as varieties peculiar to certain localities, or merely as chance diversities. The home of the parrot extends over all quarters of the globe, with the exception of Europe; but it is chiefly in tropical countries. So large a family of varied and highly interesting birds must naturally, from ancient times, have offered manifold charms, to the savant, and it is not surprising, therefore, that we have numerous works on the subject. Among all the writings which deal with it, the monograph of Dr. Otto Finsch (Leyden, 1867-68) stands most conspicuous as a source of scientific knowledge. In my before-mentioned larger work I have confined myself to the researches of this, the most eminent of authors in this department, and, as far as such information was necessary, I have done the same here.

Glancing, from this point of view, at the very many varieties which now chiefly demand our attention, I must first state, as a fact in my experience, that almost every species of parrot produces individuals in which the gift of speech evinces itself. We have talkers from the following kinds : True Parrots, or Grey and Black Parrots (Psittacus, L.), Amazon Parrots (Chry-sotis, Swns.), Noble Parrots (Eclectics, Wgl.), Long-winged Parrots (Pionias, Wgl.), True Cockatoo (Plectolophus, Vgrs.), Macaw Cockatoo (Microglossus, Gff.), Cockatiel (Callipsittacus, Lss.), Sharp-tailed Lories or Lorikeets (Trichoglossus, Vgrs.), Broad-tailed or True Lories (Domicella, Wgl.), Macaws (Sittace, Wgl.), Noble Parrakeets (Palceornis, Vgrs.), Wedge-tailed Parrakeets (Conurus, Khl.), Thick-billed Parrakeets (Bolbo-rhynchus, Bp.), Slender-billed Parrakeets (Brotogerys, Vgrs.), Flat-tailed Parrakeets (Platycercus, Vgrs.), Singing Parrakeet, or Undulated Parrakeet (Melopsittacus, Gld.). Up to the present, no speakers have been discovered among the hereafter-mentioned species : Mascarenus, Lss.; Dasyptilus, Wgl.; Psitta-cula, Khl.; Nasiterna, Wgl.; Stringops, Gr.; Coryllis, Fnsch.; Psittacella, Schl.; Euphema, Wgl.; Pezoporus, 111. But, as has been said, we must on no account determine, or even suppose, that there are no speakers at all among the ranks of the last-named parrots; for as the Undulated Parrakeet made itself known all at once as a talker, so may we as reasonably expect this to take place with some species or other of the Euphema, Psittacula, Coryllis, etc.

A physical description of parrots, concerning the structure of the body, and the nature of all the organs, would here be superfluous; while, of course, the plumage and its colours in each species must be stated for the purposes of determination and recognition. I would, however, on no account omit a detailed description of the tongue - the most characteristic physical feature of the speaking bird. "As a rule, it appears thick, fleshy, blunt, with a point formed like an acorn, but more frequently covered on the foremost end with countless threadlike warts, which consist of somewhat flattened cylinders of elastic fibres, placed in layers, above which the pituitous tunic of the tongue lies in several hard, horny strata." In most varieties the tongue is of the former nature; only in a few - the great macaws and macaw cockatoos - does it end in the horny point; while in the lories and lorikeets the latter peculiarity, as described by Dr. Weinland, shows itself. It is not yet fully determined whether the bristled tongue really serves, as has been asserted, for the purpose of sucking up honey and flower juices. It must be most particularly noticed that those kinds which have the thick, fleshy, smooth tongue, i.e., the true parrots, show themselves best suited for imitating human words; but of the other families also, including the lories or lorikeets, many have learnt to talk.

Regarding the mental endowments of parrots, the opinions of ornithologists, as well as of bird-fanciers, are extremely diverse. While one, in amiable partiality, and probably also in confusion and involuntary exaggeration, classes the speaking birds as nearly allied to man, not only ascribing to them cunning and quick comprehension, but also reason and warmth of feeling, another considers the utterance even of a notably gifted and instructed bird solely as a mechanical imitation speech, a mere chatter, undirected by any conception of the sense of the words.