Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-04-26
iii TRAINED SEALS.
CAPTAIN WESTON TELLS ABOUT HIS
THREE PERFORMERS.

make up the animal kingdom a fish is
perhaps the s~trangest that should be
chosen for training, yet the acts done by
the three seals under Captain Weston's
guidance show that even a fish can do
wonderful things. Those nov perform
ing every day are the oldest seals in
raptivity. Seals are extremely delicate,
and they rarely live away from their
native sea and rocks for more than a
year, and yet these seals, Bobby, Bibby
and Tommy, have been performing reg
ularly for six years. Their longevity Is
undoubtedly due to the fact that they
receive great care.
The exact spot of the birthplace of
these seals is not known, but when they
were youngsters they were found en- one
of the islands off Coxshaven in Germany.
The German government does all it can
to protect its fisheries, and as seals are
a constant menace to fish the govern
ment pays a reward Of 5 marks for the
capture of each seal. There is a famous
seal fisherman in Germany named
Workman, and when Captain Weston,
who had been on many sealing and
whaling expeditions in the North sea,
determined that he would give up the
life of a sailor and become a landlubber
it occurred to him that the training of
seals would be novel and profitable. He
went to Workman, and together they
captured the three sleek little fellows.
There are many islands outside of Coxs-
hnran onI M nF tho G,,Nal1acf y-no
chosen. In describing the capture Cap
tain Weston said:
We stretched the net on one side of one
of the smaller islands and then went to
the others and shot off pistols and made a
noise, driving many seals into the wa
ter and against the net. We had to
work very quickly, because the seals
dived down and became e%ntangled in the
net, and a seal will drown if kept five
minutes under water. When we finally
pulled them up, we found that we had
about 20 seals, but when they found
themselves altogether they became en-
ragged and fought among themselves,
biting, scratching and tearing, even
killing one another, until there were
only three left, and these three are the
same three / have today.
One has only a faint idea of the
amount of patience which it requires TO
teach a fish, for such a seal really is.
II looks easy TO see M of my seals play
the banjo or a harp, but it took me
three months of hard work every day
to teach them to do this even in an i'm
perfect manner, and the only reason
that l can give is that they have been
at it long enough to learn.
| have never before known a seal to
live in captivity over one year, and yet
/ have had mine many times that. |
am often surprised at their intelligence.
Especially is this true of Bobby, the
clown. l believe that that fish under
stands humor, because he does things at
times which actually make me laugh,
to say nothing about the audience. He
is the best seal ever had, the hest /
ever will have, and think that ae has
an affection for me, and that he knows
almost everything that l say to him.
Yes, the care of seals is a great one.
l keep them in a tank, and above the
water is a shelf for them TO lie OH when
they feel so inclined. This water is
changed three times a day, and 90
pounds of salt are put into the water at
each change, for a seal cannot live in
fresh water. you know. They are as
plump and fat today as they were lying
on their native rocks in the North
sea, and they know a great deal more
about the world than they otherwise
would have known. 1t may surprise
some people, but it is nevertheless a
fact, that these three seals eat 500 pounds
Of fish a week. They will only eat sea-
fish, such as herring OF founder, and /
attribute their long life to the fact that
i am very careful with their food. The
fish are washed and cleaned and the
heads cut off just as carefully and just
as clearly as though going on a hotel
table. The seal does not chew a fish,
but swallows it whole, and it would
surprise you 10 see how a great mass of
fish will disappear when three seals get
at it. All the accomplishments of these
seals are not shown. They have been
taught water tricks. ] can throw q 10
cent piece into a tank Of water, and,
small as the piece is and fat as it lies
on the bottom, at q word of command
any one of my seals will dive for it and
get it. This l do not show In public,
because the tank is an unwieldy thing
to keep about.
Have they ever bitten me? Yes, eev-
eral times, and the seals bite is a nasty
n The last time was when / placed
the ~tambourine in front Of Bibby.
Without warning he grabbed me by the
ARM, and ! certainly thought he would
take a big piece out OF It before I could
make him let 60. and / was obliged to
strike him very severely before Ecould
get him 10 let loose. My seals to me
are great pets, and think az much OF
them as | would Of q child, for their
great, big, intelligent eyes look up into
mine with Nm expression which tells me
IL they only knew how they would GER
tainly talk to me. New York Tribune.
A physician who got rid of some of
his steel instruments and bought others
made of aluminium says that he is sor-