A POLITE PARROT.
[To THE EDITOR, OF MD " SPRCTATOR."] SIR,—A week or two ago we took our little six-year-old daughter to the Crystal Palace, and when in the parrot- house, she became very anxious to secure the beautiful yellow crest-feather which bad fallen from one of the cockatoos in the large cage. While we were vainly fishing for it with hair- pins, an old cockatoo walked across the cage towards us, some- what hurriedly but with a dignified and obliging air, and, to our intense surprise, took the feather up in his beak and presented it to us! On our accepting it with joy, he also held forth another pretty white feather which lay near. Need I say that he was rewarded to the beat of our power with sundry pieces of cake ? I confess I should like to know whether our friend acted on the inspiration of the moment, or whether he is known to pass his life in doing these courtesies.—I am,
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