People will be strangely mistaken if they imagine that all the birds which rank in this order possess the faculty of climbing. In reality it is only the privilege of some, and does not belong exclusively even to them, for it is found in some of the Passerines. The essential characteristic of the Climbers lies in this organic disposition—that the external toe, instead of being placed in front like that in other birds, is placed behind, by the side of the thumb. For this reason the denomination of Climbers has been substituted by that of Zygodactyles, which is used by Temminck, Vieillot, and others, and which has the advantage of perfectly expressing the distinctive characteristic of the order, for this word signifies fingers disposed in pairs. Thanks to the formation of their feet, the Climbers can clasp the branches of trees strongly; thus they are almost continually perched. Their flight is medium, being neither so powerful as that of the Raptores nor so light as that of the Passerines. These birds feed upon fruits or insects, according to the strength of their beaks. They chiefly inhabit warm countries, and their colours are generally brilliant. Lastly, they are all monogamists, with the exception of the Cuckoo. This order is one of the least numerous of the class of birds. It comprehends but few families, amongst which we will mention the Parrots, Toucans, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers, and Jacamars.

Parrots.

Parrots have large, strong, and round beaks; the upper mandible strongly hooked and sharp at the extremity, extending beyond the lower, which is rather deeply hollowed. The tongue, which is thick, fleshy, and movable, is terminated by a cluster of sinewy papillÆ, or by a cartilaginous gland. The tarsi are very short, and the feet perfected to such a degree that they really become hands, able to seize, hold, and retain small objects. Their toes are supplied with strong and hooked claws, which make these birds pre-eminently Climbers. With the exception of one single species—the Loriets (Platycercina Vigorsia, Sw.)—which have rather long tarsi and straight claws, enabling them to run with some rapidity, the Parrots, on the contrary, walk with difficulty. They drag along the ground with such trouble that they rarely descend to it, and only under pressing circumstances. Besides, they find all the necessaries of their existence on trees. They are not more favoured with regard to their flight, and we can understand that it should be so; for, living in thick woods, they only require to effect trifling changes of place, such as from one tree to another. However, some species, especially the smaller, are capable of a more prolonged and effective use of their wings. According to Levaillant, some even emigrate, and travel hundreds of miles every year; but this is an exception. In general, Parrots are sedentary, and willingly remain in localities without a desire to leave.

Sociable in their dispositions, they assemble in more or less numerous bands, and make the forests re-echo with their loud cries. To some species it is such an imperative necessity to be near each other and live in common, that they have received from naturalists the name of Inseparables. At breeding-time each couple isolate themselves for the purpose of reproduction. The male and female evince the greatest attachment to each other. The females deposit their eggs in the hollows of trees and in the crevices of rocks. The young birds are quite naked when hatched; it is not till the end of three months that they are completely covered with feathers. The parent birds wait upon them with the greatest solicitude, and become threatening when approached too closely by intruders.

Essentially frugivorous, Parrots prefer the fruits of the palm, banana, and guava trees. They may be seen perched upon one foot, using the other to bear the food to their beaks, and retain it there till eaten. After they have extracted the kernel they free it from its envelope and swallow it in particles. They often visit plantations and cause great devastation. In a domestic state they are omnivorous. Besides seeds and grain, they eat bread, and even raw or cooked meat, and it is with manifest pleasure that they receive bones to pick; they are also very partial to sugar. It is well known that bitter almonds and parsley act upon them as violent poisons. They drink and bathe very frequently; in summer they evince the greatest desire to plunge into water. Captive Parrots will habituate themselves, if permitted, to the use of wine; it produces the same effect on them as on the human family, viz., excites their loquacity and gaiety. They climb in a peculiar manner, which has nothing of the abruptness displayed by other birds of the same order. They accomplish their slow and irregular movements by the help of the beak and feet, which lend a reciprocal support. Like almost all birds of tropical regions, Parrots are adorned with most beautiful colours, green predominating; then comes red, and finally blue and yellow. They have often largely-developed tails.

Notwithstanding their prattling, Parrots are the favourites of men, from their remarkable talent of imitation. They retain and repeat with great facility words which they have learned or heard by chance, and also sometimes imitate, with startling resemblance, the cries of animals, the sounds of different musical instruments, &c.

By the words that they utter in an unexpected manner, Parrots contribute to our amusement and diversion, and quite become companions. Is it, then, to be wondered at that these birds have been eagerly sought since their introduction into Europe? Alexander the Great brought into Greece a Parrot which he had found in India. These birds became so common in Rome at the time of the emperors, that they figured in their sumptuous repasts. They are now spread throughout Europe in a domestic state.

The species most remarkable for their mimic babbling faculties are the Grey Parrot, or Jaco, a native of Africa, and the Green Parrot, from the West Indies and Tropical America.

In the sixteenth century a cardinal paid a hundred crowns for a Parrot because it recited the Apostles' Creed correctly. Monsieur de la Borde relates that he has seen a Parrot supply the place of chaplain to a ship, for he recited the prayer and rosary to the sailors. Levaillant heard a Parrot say the Lord's Prayer lying on its back, placing together the toes of its feet as we join our hands in the act of prayer. Willoughby mentions a Parrot which, when he said to him, "Laugh, Parrot!" immediately burst out laughing, and cried out an instant after, "O the great fool who made me laugh!" A keeper of a glass shop possessed one which, whenever he broke anything or knocked over a vase, invariably exclaimed, in tones of anger, "Awkward brute! he never does anything else."

"We have seen a Parrot," says Buffon, "which had grown old with his master, and partaken with him the infirmities of age. Accustomed to hear little more than the words, 'I am ill,' when asked, 'How are you, Parrot—how are you?' 'I am ill,' it replied in doleful tones, 'I am ill,' and stretching itself on the hearth—'I am ill.'" "A Parrot from Guinea," says the same author, "being taught on the journey by an old sailor, learnt his rough voice and his cough so perfectly that they could be mistaken. Although it had been given immediately after to a young person, and only heard his voice, it did not forget the lessons of its former master, and nothing was so agreeable as to hear it pass from a sweet and pleasant voice to its old hoarseness and the cough of early times."

Goldsmith relates that a Parrot belonging to King Henry VIII., and always confined in a chamber bordering upon the Thames, had learnt several phrases which it heard repeated by the boatmen and passengers. One day it was let fall into the Thames, when it cried with a strong voice, "A boat! a boat! twenty pounds to save me!" A waterman immediately threw himself into the river, thinking that some one was drowning, and was much surprised to find it was only a bird. Having recognised the king's Parrot, he carried it to the palace, claiming the recompense the bird had promised when in distress. The circumstance was related to Henry VIII., who laughed much, and paid it with a good grace.

The Prince LÉon, son of the Emperor Basil, having been condemned to death by his father, owed his life to his Parrot, which, in repeating the lamentable accents several times, "Alas! my master LÉon!" ended by touching the heart of this barbarous father. M. Lemaout says:—"In a town of Normandy a butcher's wife beat her child unmercifully every day. The infant sank under the ill-treatment. The justice of man made no remonstrance, but a Grey Parrot which lived in the house of a rope-maker, opposite to that of the butcher, took upon itself the chastisement of this unnatural mother. It continually repeated the cries which the poor child uttered when he saw his mother rush at him with the rod in her hand—'What for? what for?' This phrase was uttered by the bird with such doleful and supplicating accents, that the indignant passers-by entered unexpectedly into the shop, and reproached the rope-maker with his barbarity. He justified himself by showing his Parrot, and relating the history of his neighbour's child. After some months the woman, pursued by the accusing phrase and the murmurs of public opinion, was obliged to sell her business and leave the village."

The Marquis of Langle, in his "Travels in Spain," writes thus:—"I saw at Madrid, at the English Consul's, a Parrot which has retained a quantity of things—an incredible number of stories and anecdotes—which it retails and articulates without hesitation. It spoke Spanish, murdered French, knew some verses of Racine, could say grace, repeat the fable of the Crow, and count thirty louis. They dared scarcely hang its cage at the windows; for when it was there, and the weather was fine, the Parrot talked ceaselessly. It said everything it knew, apostrophised all passers-by (except women), and talked politics. In pronouncing the word Gibraltar it burst out laughing. One would think it was a man who laughed."

An English gentleman bought a Grey Parrot in Bristol, the intelligence of which was quite extraordinary. It asked for everything it wanted, and gave orders: it sang several songs, and whistled some airs very well, beating the measure. When it made a false note it recommenced, and never committed the mistake again. We have often, when passing through the Rue Four-des-Flammes, at Montpellier, heard a Parrot which sung and articulated most distinctly the two verses of this song:—

Parrots imitate not only the words, but even the gestures of those with whom they come in contact. Scaliger knew one which repeated the songs of some young Savoyards, and imitated their dances.

Parrots have a mania for using their beaks upon everything that comes in their way. When encaged against their will they utter loud cries, and sometimes turn their fury upon the bars of their prison. They have been known to pluck and even tear themselves in these paroxysms. Supplying them with a plaything is the only means of keeping them quiet under such circumstances.

These Climbers are endowed with remarkable longevity. The "Memorandums of the Academy of Sciences of Paris" mention a Parrot that lived in the family of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in Florence, more than a hundred and ten years. Vieillot speaks of having seen one near Bordeaux which was eighty-four years of age. The average length of their life cannot, however, be exactly ascertained.

Parrots rarely breed in Europe; it is true they often lay, but the eggs are sterile. A few instances have been known in France where, under favourable circumstances, they have perpetuated their species. Generally all that we see in our temperate regions are brought from countries where the majority have been taken from the nest. Different means are employed to capture the adults, all of which have for their aim to stun them for an instant, in order to paralyse their movements.

The family of Parrots comprises four principal groups—the Macaws, Parrakeets, Parrots properly speaking, and Cockatoos.

The Macaws (Fig. 184), the largest of the Parrots, are recognisable from their bare cheeks and long tapering tails. They inhabit South America, and are arrayed in the most brilliant colours. The principal species are the Red, the Blue, the Green, and the Black Macaws. The name Arara, by which they are known in their habitat (Brazil), describes the deafening cries which they utter. Very familiar, they tame easily, and do not abuse the liberty granted them, for they never move far from their dwelling-place, and always return to it. They like the caresses and attentions of people they know, but do not care for strangers. The Green Ara is remarkable for its aversion to children. This peculiarity doubtless arises from the fact that it is very jealous, and that it often sees children receive the caresses of its mistress. The Macaws have only the gift of imitation in a slight degree; they are scarcely able to retain any words, and articulate badly.

Parrakeets, much smaller than Macaws, have, like them, long and tapering tails, but their cheeks are wholly or partially feathered. Some species, which resemble the preceding group by being more or less destitute of plumage round the eyes, for this reason have received the name of Macaw-Parrakeets. Parrakeets are highly esteemed for their vivacity, gentleness, and the facility with which they learn to talk. Their plumage is generally of a uniform green; sometimes it is varied with red or blue. They inhabit South America, the islands of Oceania, the Indies, Africa, and Senegal.

The Tabuan or King's Parrot (Platycercus scapulatus, Vig.), which inhabits Australia, belongs to this group. These birds form a curious exception in the order of Climbers by their terrestrial habits. According to M. J. Verreaux, they never perch when pursued, but take refuge on the ground among the herbage.

Parrots, properly speaking, are distinguished from other groups of the same family by their short square tails. They have feathered cheeks like Parakeets, and their size is intermediate between them and the Aras. They are much appreciated on account of their memory, and also for their habit of repeating what they hear. Parrots are divided into several species, founded upon the size and the predominating colour of the plumage. The first of these is generally grey, and consists only of the Grey Parrot, or Jaco, indigenous to the West Coast of Africa, to which the chief part of the anecdotes recounted in the preceding pages relate. Next comes a species the plumage of which is green; the most remarkable of these is the Amazonian Parrot. The principal colour of the Lories is red; they inhabit the Moluccas and New Guinea. Love-birds (Fig. 186) are the smallest of this group; their plumage varies in shades according to the climates. They are met with in America, Southern Africa, and in the islands of Oceania.

Cockatoos have tails of medium length, cheeks feathered, and head surmounted by a white, yellow, or pink tuft, which they can raise and lower at will. They are the largest among the race of Parrots of the Old Continent. They inhabit the Indies and the isles of Oceania, and are pretty, graceful, docile, and caressing, but are indifferent talkers. One very remarkable species of this group is the Microglosse (little tongue), called by Levaillant the "Macaw with the trumpet," from the formation of its tongue, which is cylindrical, and terminated by a little gland slightly hollowed at the extremity. When this bird has reduced into fragments, by the help of its jaws, the kernels of the fruits which form its nourishment, it seizes the pieces by means of the hollow which terminates the tongue, and having tried the flavour, projects the trumpet in front, and makes it pass to the palate, which has the function of causing it to fall into the throat. This curious mechanism was disclosed by Levaillant.

The characteristic of the birds which compose the family of Toucans is their enormous beak. This is much longer than the head, is curved at its extremity, dentated at its edges, and possesses a projecting bone at the middle of the upper mandible. It is not so heavy to bear, and incommodes the movements of the birds less than might be supposed, for it is formed of a spongy tissue, the numerous cells of which are filled with air. Thus it is very weak, and does not serve to break, or even to bruise, fruits, notwithstanding the idea one forms at first sight of its strength, for it is not even capable of breaking off the bark of trees, as certain authors have urged. This wonderful bill encloses a still more strange tongue; very straight, and as long as the beak, which is covered on each side with closely-packed barbs, similar to a feather, the use of which remains a complete mystery to us. This curious instrument so struck the naturalists of Brazil, where many Toucans are found, that it furnished these birds with a name. In Brazilian Toucan means "feather."

Toucans feed on fruits and insects; they live in bands of from six to ten, in damp places where the palm tree flourishes, for its fruit is their favourite food. In eating they seize the fruit with the extremity of the beak, make it bounce up in the air, receive it then into the throat, and swallow it in one piece. If it is too large, and impossible to divide, they reject it. They are rarely seen on the ground, and although their flight is heavy and difficult, they perch on the branches of the highest trees, where they remain in ceaseless motion. Their call is a sort of whistle, frequently uttered. Very timid, they are approached with difficulty. During the breeding season they attack the weakest birds of their own race, chase them from their nests, and devour the eggs or nearly-hatched young ones which they enclose. They build their nests in holes hollowed out by Woodpeckers or other birds. They all have very brilliant plumage, and inhabit Paraguay, Brazil, and Guiana.

Fig. 191.—Yellow Toucan (Pteroglossus Humboldtii, Gould).