Show parrott the kea or mountain parrot of new zealand a greenish brown bird formerly as harmless as others of his class has developed a carnivorous habit as fastidious as that of epicures epi cures it used to feed on the berries that grew luxuriantly on the hills but it has changed that simple diet since the multiplication of sheep perhaps fires too made that food scarce it now takes a terrible revenge on its unconscious enemy fastening itself on the back of a poor sheep perhaps stuck in a snowdrift and savagely tearing away wool skin and flesh it plunges its powerful beak into the kidney fat which it devours and then leaving one victim to die in agony goes off in search of another though it is as difficult to feel individual affection for sheep where they are slaughtered by millions as it would be to care for hogs in chicago the most unsentimental shepherd cannot refrain from pitying one of his own flock that he finds in such a condition and from invoking maledia eions on the whole race of keas how they found out that kidney fat was euch a delicacy can only be conjectured perhaps in the same indirect manner in which charles lambs chinaman discovered that young roast pig was good a kea saw a sheep devouring his regular supply of food and defending his property with what beak and claws he had his tongue came in contact accidentally with kidney fat from that moment the satisfaction of appetite and the gratification of vendetta were united G M grant in harpers |