The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1890-02-08
a CURlOUs sHOW

Alice May Douglas. in Santa Claus
A CURIOUS SHOW.
Cats. Birds and Mice Living Together in
Peace and Harmony.
Have you ever seen a 'bappy family?
not OF boys ana girls L mean, but OF
cats, birds and mice?
why" you may exclaim with scorn,
''the cats would eat the others up" No,
not in the ''happy family of which 1
am now going to tell you.
Some times and in some places in the
streets of London, and also at the sea-
side resorts, may be seen such family;
and the birds do not peck at the mice,
and the cats keep their claws from both!
1t is called ''happy family"
''What birds are these? Well, in one
such family which have seen there are
pretty paroquets, a couple of green
fnches, and sometimes a brace of gay
Java sparrows. There are one or more
white mice and couple of cats.
The birds chirp and twitter and hop
about in cage, on the top of which two
sleepy cats stare around them, appar
emily quite oblivious of the feathered
creatures beneath, while when wanted
the mouse or mice make their appear
ance, sometimes from the masters
pocket, sometimes from the cage or
little box. And so tanned are the cats
that have seen the little white mouse
run up slight pole and down again
through a cats paws, and it was actually
placed once on a cats noSe-for sec
ond or so only, it is true-but the cruel
jaws made no snap at the little creature.
The mouse seemed quite safe.
But these creatures perform. The
Exhibition-if we may give it that
grand name-takes place on a little
wooden platform or board supported on
two pairs of legs which can be folded up
like two pairs of gigantic scissors. And
if you were to meet Mr.. Snowman and
his companion, who is sometimes little
girl and carries a small bag for the
money, on their travels as they make
their way to different places, you might
not perhaps think they had o Happy
Family with them. Tho cage is
Bhrouded in a cloth cover, the eats are
shut up in a fiat-lidded basket, and the
platform, taken off its legs. which are
folded up. looks little else than paint
ed board.
But now the show is to begin! Tho
board is placed on it's legs, the cage OF
twitterers uncovered and stood at one
end, with the two, sleepy cats upon it.
The little pole is fixed in it's place with
a little flag on the top. When required
a couple of small ladders leaning to-
gether like the sides of pyramid are
produced, and up the sloping sides of
this the twittering birds mOve-up one
side and down the other-and the white
mouse crawls. A tight rope is also
stretched for them, and along this the
little performers also pass.
Perhaps the mouse hopes to find food
at the end of it's journey, for l have seen
it hurry into the cage, the door of which
is open opposite the end of the second
ladder, and look after the bird-seed lying
there. Another trick performed by
Java sparrow is to hang from the tight
rope with his head downwards like
piece of meat in butchers shop; and
the red color of the bird of course assists
the imitation. Then another little
feathered creature pretends to be dead
bird. It lies on it's back in the show
mans hand with its legs apparently
stiff, for all the world as though life had
really departed!
And while the little performance is
proceeding Mr.. Snowman can keep up a
pretty patter or running talk of his own,
in which you may hear such names as
Champagne Charlie, Mrs. Caudle and
Girl of the Period. Presently two of the
birds-shall we call them Mrs. and Mrs.
Caudle?-are taken out for a drive!
Dexterously their master catches one OF
tho rreenfrcHor 7r' ho0k5 around Il
sort Of little cloak, percbes "a small hat
on its head and tucks i5 into d little
open carriage. Very funny looks Che
pretty little head with it's Deak and
bright eyes turning about.
The other greenfnch is treated in q
similar manner. Then a paroquet is
caught possibly one Of The largest and
strongest-and placed between the
shafts. These appear like two wires
converging toward each other and
Joined at their ends by ring placed up
right between them, like loop. The
bird stoops its head, pops it through
the ring, and hops away, drawing the
coachful behind. Very probably if you
watch, you will see Mr.. Snowman lift
up his platform slightly so that the
coach may run more easily down the in
cline. The ring seems to reston the birds
wings and apparently does it no harm,
though it will probably get out OF the
circlet as soon as possible.
Sometimes greater brilliancy is given
to the performance by bird firing off a
tov cannon. The master lights the
match and places it in little apparatus
behind the small piece of artillery.
The bird jumps upon the apparatus,
when down goes the match and off bangs
the cannon!
One of the cats and sometimes both,
may be supposed to hold up the little
pole for the mouse to climb. The stick
is fixed in the platform but the cats
paws are placed around it. The little
white animal crawls between the paws
without, apparently, the slightest fear.
A cat too will Jump over the masters
outstretched arm, something as It's Dig
cousins, trained tiger or leopard, Will
spring through hoop in show.
l.