The morning call., 1891-06-17
PERFORMING HONS.
Trained Brutes Recently Exhibited in
London Arena.

Trained Brutes Recently Exhibited in a
London Arena.
Mr. Carl Hagenbeck of Hamburg, big
dealer in wild animals, has brought over a
show that promises to far eclipse in senSa-
| ton the performing lions which electrified
London last year, says the London Even
ing News and Post. Mr.. Hagenbeck has
twelve lions six male and six femae),
three Bengal tigers Zone male and two fe-
MALE, two cheetahS, two leOpards, one
polar bear, one Thibet bear, and five boar
hounds, and all these distinguished visitors
from the brute world live, play and sleep
together ia perfect harmony! 1t is difficult
10 believe, but seeing is believing and
visitors to the Palace will be able to judge
for themselves. In building that mas
been specially constructed in the grounds
of the Palace the performance takes place
| There is a circular arena Tor the animals
and seats all round for the spectators, the
one species of civilized creatures being
divided from the other by a stout reasSur-
ing railing. The visitors seat themselves,
| the band plays, and the animals walk around.
Though they do not bow to the audience,
there is glad tO-See-y you" sort of geniallty
beamiug in the eyes of the lions; a sleek,
geuteel Civiiity characterlZes the bearing Of
the cat-llke cheetahs, leOpardS and tigers !;
and there is absolutely fat smile of well
come on the face of the grizzly gentleman
from Thi5et he Is the embodiment OF fun,
that Tnibet beqT-Qulte the lIon-cOmIque of
the show, II a bear can be called a lion
cOmique. The polar bear gives the nearest
approach TO bow with that curious See-saw
motion of the head which Is one Of the pc
CuliarJieS of his race; but the boarh0undS
are, if anything, just tritle bruSk and
standOffish, though this, OF course, Is only a
way they have. Certainly, all the animals
present an air Of amiabiIity that can scarcely
be called hereditary.
MI Hagenbeck says 1t has all been done
by kindness. aud, miracles having gone out
OF fashion, kindness must stand. The per-
Torrance is a capital one. Heinrich Mehr-
mann, the trainer, steps into the arena with
an air of easy nOnchalance, and his TWO at
tendants are equally at home among the
four footed performers. BeckUned IN turn
by the trainer the animals descend from
their seats, ranged round the arena, and
perform their allotted turns, The
tigers Jump over each others backs with
great precision; the lions walk on TeYOlY-
ing globes with an assumption OF placid
dignity that would turn u finished acrobat
green with jealousy, ami all keep time most
religiouSly To the music of the band. The
bOarhOuudS and cheeLahS, too, play their
part fairly tYe gods aud d-players!-
fancy r cheetah playing anything fairly In
a pastime that IS a kind OF compromise
between buck jumping and leap frog. But
?
this nimble lion. His hobby is tricyclIng.
Round and round he goes, Dedaling his
three-wheeleT, faster and faster still, until
one begins to vaguely wonder which Will
break first, the record or the machine. Then
the bear gives little Blondin performance
not on 4 tight rope, buta very narrow plank.
He is very artlui BIondln, is the same
bruin, walking very unSteadiy and some
times nearly falling of just to show the pub
lie how awfully dangerous il is. He well
earns the biscuits which Mr.. Mehrmann ever
and anon bestows upon him. Other gro
tesQue things are a See-saW by lions, bears
ana tigers, and a chariot ride in which Ii
gers act as horses, lions as cOachmen and
boaThounds as foOtmen. But the feature Of
the show is the pyramid formed by the ami
mails standing one on top of the other, with
the polar bear at the top of all. This latter
latter does not seem to Dc in any fear that
the animals below will play him false, but
wags his head in quiet cOntentment, posi-
bly, rejoicing in his peculiar privilege of
having no weight to bear. 1t is an admIra-
bic show, and a wonderful one.