So as the Soul of the species, which you see here before you, grew old and feeble, the whole of the race to which it belonged grew old and feeble with it.

One by one they withered away and died, till at last this solitary specimen alone remained to vouch for the former existence of the race in the island.

Now, the islanders say, nothing but the Soul itself is left; and when the Soul dies, the red-throated parrots will be gone forever.

One of my predecessors paid with his life in awful tortures for his remissness in not providing for the succession to the soulship.

I tell you these things in order that you may see whether they cast any light for you upon your own position; and also because the oldest and wisest natives say that this parrot alone, among beasts or birds or uninitiated things, knows the secret on which depends the life of the Tu-Kila-Kila for the time being." "Can the parrot speak ?" Felix asked, with profound emotion.
"Monsieur, he can speak, and he speaks frequently.