A SWEARLESS PARROT

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2740, 19 February 1910, Page 2 (Supplement)

A SWEARLESS PARROT

Next to the recent report that thepet parrot of the Park Department was addicted to profanity, nothing (writes the Baltimore “Sun”) has eo surprised President Latrobe of the Park Board as the discovery that the bird does not swear. Instead of Ixiasting a weird vocabulary the bird doesn’t know “Darn” from “Gadzcoks,” and couldn’t tell “By Heck” from “Gehenna.” Indeed, according to late disclosures, the parrot has been a much-maligned bird, and has borne, on his shoulders the sins of a park attendant inclined to scatter his language “sort o’ careless.” But, instead of enhancing the value of the parrot, this disclosure has depreciated his worth, and he would not bring as much at public or private sal e as a tongue-tied canary. Up to a short time ago bidders were offering' briskly for the bird, and his supposed profanity brought a premium. Letters importuning the commissioners to place a price on the parrot floated into tho department, and fancy figures wore offered for him. The climax was reached when the following was received from a cafe-kceper: “I hear that there is in one of the cages at Drgid Hill Park a parrot that is accustomed to using language that would not he considered polite in good society. Apparently, there are quite a number of persons who desire to own the bird, and it occurred to me that it would be an advantage to the city to put it up at auction. I will be at the sale and will start the bidding at a fair figure.” And right at this point came the discovery that it was all a mistake, and the bird doesn’t swear. Instead of concealing this fact and disposing of the -parrot on his disgraceful reputation, the Park Board let the news leak out, and public interest in the bird fell fast.