The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1888-05-24
TRICK ANIMALS,
some Funny Things at Barnum,s.

Il
| (Allan Forman in Harper's Young People)
| There is hardly boy or girl who is
not interested in training pets to do
tricks. Whether it is only to teach old
Tray to Jump over q stick, or little Jip
to stand up on his hind-legs and beg for
a bit of meat, or the more ambitious
efforts with the pony, the intent is tho
SO ne towad the education of our dumb
companions and toward making them
more companionionable.
| Not the least interesting features of
Barnum's Circus this season are the ex-
hibitions of trained animals, and the
troup of four performing seals have quite
"taken the town." as the saying is. A
sell is naturally very intelligent crea-
ture; from the shape of tho head you will
notice that the forehead is higher, there
is more room for brain, and that it's head
moro nearly approaches in shape that of
the human head than that of any other
animal, except, perhaps, the monkey.
The eyes are singularly mild and expires.
sive, and the animals are docile and
atfectionate in disposition. The four
specimens which are with Mr.. Barnum
this year are dog-faced seals from the
North Sea, and are the propety of Mr..
Herman CASA, tho trainer. They are
very fond of him, and after they once
begin to learn, they exhibit trueIy
human love of applause, and desire to
perfect themselves in their tricks. Their
owner has taught them to make q noise
which is not unlike singing, and they
will frequently rehearse their choruses
when they are alone in their cages,
Keeping time with each other just as they
do before an audience. 1t takes about
SIX months to train seals beiarc they can
appear in public, but after they once get
an idea of what is wanted of them, thev
are very quick to learn.
| MIR. Cassa has taught Bob, tho oldest
OF the quartotto, the bad habit of smoking
q pipe, and he really seems to like it,
while Toby is more "dudish" in his tastes,
and prefers cigarettes Baby, who is only
two years old, has developed talent for
music, and strums quito respectible
accompaniment upon n guitar, while
Lady turns hand organ. They 90
through drill, play on drnm, cymbals,
ana tamDourlne, ringa bell, and shoot
gun and revolver at the word of COM
mand. The strangely human expression
OF their eyes, and their evident delight
III the applause of the audience, aud
greatly to the charm of the performance.
| They havo become SO civilized that the
N'iJ pluCCS VI blSlE W1l(l nature.
are shown when thoy receive their dinner
Of raw fish. Then they growl at each
other and tear their food in u most
| impolite fashion.
| But the seals are only one of the many
attractions at the great circus. When |
went around among the animals with tho
Superintendent of the menagerie short
| time ago, baby camel had Just como to
| town, the second born in the show this
season. 1T was queer long-leggcd crea-
| ture, and looked for all the world like n
| carlcaturo OF It's grOtesquc mother, which
was wonderfully proud and tender with
| the Youngstcr, and evidently reguarded
1t as one of the most beautiful and pre-
clous of living creatures. While she
was gratiiied with Mr.. Conklings notice
of her offspring, 81. evidently had her
| doubts about me, and more than half
suspected that / had some evil designs
against her long-necked wcnk-kneed
| baby, which with the confidence of
youth tried to chew the buttons of nv
| OvercOat.
Though the present Superintendent
has only been with the Barnum show for
one season, he is on the best of terms
with all the animals, and shakes hands
with the big lion, and scratches the
Tiger s neck with Il familiarity which is
quite awe-lnspiring. TO be successful
as an anlnal-tralner II man II ust be
patient, firm, even-temperd, and abso-
lutely devoid Of fear. He must win the
confidence and the respect as well as the
affection of the animals in his charge.
lie must be always on the alert, for with
many OF the larger and more savage
ANNALS single moment of carelessncss
may cost the trainer his lifC
Mr. Wotson, with his troupe of tIained
dogs, has no such fear: his Jolly pets 90
through their acts for the fun of the
thing. They jump hurdles, run races,
and dance, and while they are sitting on
their stools impatiently waiting their
turn to perform, they keep time to the
music OF the band with their tails, while
one eXcltable, halfbreed Eskimo terrier,
whose speciality is the turning of back
somersaults, jumps down from his perch
al intervals, and relieves his feelings by
a few sOmcrsaults on his own acc0unt
When his turn comes on the programme
lie can hardly wait his masters signal
but turns over and over around the Cir
cular stage unit. he looks like an animn-
ted ball Of gray hair. He is one of thos.
actors who like to give the whole show
themselves, and evidently feels worry IN
happy when he is not occupying the |
whole attention Of the audienco.
pig is not very pretty animal, nor
is 1t generally regarded as very intel
hgent; yet Robin Raflin has managed to |
teach his trio of porchine pupils to 90 |
through number Of very amusing trick
They run steoplc-chases, with monkeys
on their backs for jockeys, and the old
black Spanish pig, dressed as a nurse.
wheels the little white pig, arraying in
baby-clothes, around the big ring in n |
perambulator. The pigs are stupid,
obstinate brutes though, and lack the
Vlyaclty of rhe seals and dogs.
But here comes with his keeper a most
remarkable bird. 1t is gigantic duck,
and as it waddles into the ring quacking,
Wlggling it's stump of tail, and flap,
ping its wings, all its actions are so duck
Ike that one can hardly believe that it is
not genuine. Presently it goes out, and
Il great rooster struts into the ring, crows
proudly, and goes through a perfor-
mancc, and i'll turn is followed by
turkey and II most mothcry and fussy
old hen, who cluck8 and scratches around
rs If sho had q hundred chickens demon