Scientist Irene Pepperberg was about to board a plane for Tucson, Ariz., when a peevish reservations clerk refused to let her on with a bird cage. No matter that her avian companion, "Alex Pepperberg," the famous African Grey parrot, had his own ticket — and the papers to prove he was a valuable research subject and TV celebrity. "And I suppose you ordered him a meal?" the agent sniped, after being overruled by a supervisor. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Pepperberg said without missing a beat. "He's getting the fruit plate."