The shoemaker, while binding his
slippers, or embroidering his rich velvet shoes, for the feet of some
sable beauty, pauses every now and then, to listen to the chattering
of his pet. The _guala_, on returning home, after disposing of his
butter or buttermilk, first takes up some bamboo twigs, one of which
is appropriated to each customer, and marking, by a notch with a
knife, the quantity disbursed to each, turns, as a matter of course,
to his favourite parrot, and either listens to the recital of his
previous lessons, or begins to teach him some fresh invocation to some
score of gods and goddesses. These men seldom condescend to teach
their favourites anything else; but should a lady be the owner, the
parrot's lessons are more varied, and more domestic in their
character. He is taught to call his mistress 'mother,' and himself
'Baba mittoo' (sweet child.) He is sometimes instructed to rail at her
neighbours, and sometimes to scold the children; and thus she lives in
sweet companionship with her bird, feeding him with steeped grain,
rice and milk, sugar-cane and Indian corn. Of the two last he is
exceedingly fond.
India abounds in a variety of parrots and perroquets, the names of
many of which I have forgotten; but the generic name is _Tota_.
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