Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1870 — A Fanny Bird. [ARTICLE]

A Fanny Bird.

A recent traveler in Australia thus describes the performances of a tame cockatoo, known by its pet name of “ the Doctor “It pretended to ljave a violent toothache, and nursed its beak in its claw, rocking itself backward and forward as if in the greatest agony, and, in answer to all the remedies which were proposed, croaking out,' Oh, it ain’t a bit of good!’ and, finally, sidling np to the edge of its perch, and saying, in a hoarse but confidential whisper: ‘ Give us a drop of whisky,*.”, It would also pretend to sew, bolding a little piece of cloth underneath the claw which rested on the perch, and going through the motions with the other, getting into difficulties with its thread, and

finally retting np a loud song in praise of sawing machines, just as If it were an ad* venire menu “The ‘Doctor’s’ beat performance la when he Imitates a hawk. Ha reserves this fine piece of acting until his mistress li feeding her poultry; then, when all the hens ana Chickens, turkeys, and pigeons, are in the qniet enjoyment of their breakbat or rapper, the peculiar shrill cry of a hawk is heard overhead, and the ‘ Doctor 1 is seen circling in the air, uttering a scream occasionally. The fowls never and out that it is a hoax, but run to shelter, cackling in the greatest alarm—hens clacking loudly for their chicks, turkeys crouching nnder the bashes, the pigeons taking refuge in their house. As soon as the ground is quite clear, cocky changes his wild note for peals or laughter from a high tree, and, finally alighting on the top of a hencoop filled with trembling chickens, remarks, in a suffocated voice," You’ll be the death of me I’ ” Bishop Thompson says that there are now Bfl missionary societies and 40,000 missionaries in the field; the Word of God is preached in 15,000 localities in the heathen world; $5,000,000 is annually collected to sustain them; 087,000 eon verts are enrolled in Africa and 718,000 in A*ia.