‘You may, dear; but be careful, for parrots bite sometimes; and you are a stranger to our parrot, and he may not like you.’
The parrot would not take any notice of the children, but swung backwards and forwards in his ring. Grandmamma told the children to ask Mary to place the two cages in the verandah where the sun was shining, for it was a fine sunny day, and grandmamma said that all birds except owls liked the sun.
Soon after the cages had been put in the verandah, and both the children were picking up and arranging their playthings, with their backs turned to the birds, they were suddenly startled by hearing a loud ‘Good morning!’ called out close behind them. Alice and Beatrice looked round to see who spoke so loud, when ‘Good morning!’ was repeated by the same voice. Beatrice was a little frightened, till Alice said, ‘It is the parrot!’
They were so pleased. Beatrice ran to call grandmamma to come and listen to their talking parrot, and Alice went closer to the cage, but not too close, for fear that she should frighten the parrot. She answered the parrot, and said, ‘Good morning, pretty Poll!’ and the parrot spoke again and again, and said, ‘Good morning, pretty Bob!’ When grandmamma came, Alice ran to her and told her, ‘Our parrot talks so nicely. I am so glad. But his name is not Poll, it is Bob; for when I said, “Pretty Poll,” he answered, “Pretty Bob.”’ And the parrot went on saying ‘Pretty Bob’ and ‘Good morning’ several times; and afterwards he began whistling and coughing, and seemed to wish to show the children all he could do and speak.
Beatrice jumped with joy, she was so happy that the parrot could talk, and it was a long time before they liked to leave the verandah.
After dinner they took some bits of biscuit to their parrot, which he ate willingly from their fingers; but grandmamma reminded them to be careful still, ‘for it may bite you when it snaps at its food.’ Beatrice drew back her little hand, and was content to let Alice feed the parrot alone.
Alice tried every morning to be quicker in dressing herself, for she could now do everything for herself, except fastening her little dress behind; and when she was ready early, grandmamma let her feed and attend to the birds; but when she was late, Mary did it.
Alice liked to do it best herself; for the birds began to know her, and she was seldom late in the morning now. And every morning she gave the birds fresh seed in the little boxes, and clean water in the glasses, and put some sand or fine gravel on the board; and little Beatrice tried to help her as far as she could.
