A voice is heard
Jun. 18th, 2005 10:28 pmA few months back, we acquired, courtesy of
curlygrrrl, three Australian birds (or, at least, stuffed representations of same): a galah (Prentice), a rainbow lorikeet (Llewellyn), and a kookaburra (Chesterfield). Each contained a mechanism that, when squeezed appropriately, produced the bird's call.
Except that Chesterfield's voice didn't work.
Well, that's OK -- these are delicate mechanisms, as we know. Many years ago we were given a lion (Agamemnon) with a builtin roar, but after a few years he lost his voice -- then briefly found it again, rather faintly, and lost it again.
The other morning I rolled over more or less on top of Agamemnon (shut up,
bratman) and, lo and behold, he roared, albeit again rather faintly. This made me curious, so when I came into the computer room (where the birds are currently hanging out) later on, I gave Chesterfield an experimental squeeze, and avian laughter rang out. I don't know whether to credit the peculiar weather or just the eventual wearing off of a natural shyness, but we now have a kookaburra with a voice.
This is something of a mixed blessing, as anyone who has ever heard a kookaburra will tell you.
Except that Chesterfield's voice didn't work.
Well, that's OK -- these are delicate mechanisms, as we know. Many years ago we were given a lion (Agamemnon) with a builtin roar, but after a few years he lost his voice -- then briefly found it again, rather faintly, and lost it again.
The other morning I rolled over more or less on top of Agamemnon (shut up,
This is something of a mixed blessing, as anyone who has ever heard a kookaburra will tell you.