San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-06
HOW BIRDS ARE TRAINED.
No Cruelty Is Prncticed Because II
IL Impracticable.


Nine. Marzella for the past 10 years
has been training and exhibiting birds,
and, though she started, Venuswise,
with doves, has since trained pigeons,
parrots, macaws and even ravens. She
has altogether more than 100 birds,
and as they require special accommoda-
ton the travelling arrangements are
tircsome and expensive. In fact, the
work is altogether very arduous, but
the remuneration is presumably good
enough to make up for it. asked Mar
celia how she trained her birds and she
gave me q few interesting details. First
and foremost she stated that no cruelty
was practicable, unless it was the cruel
~ of the birds toward their trainer,
and the marks of bites about her hands
90 far to suggest the truth of the
statement. A bird trainers work is
to develop the subjects inclination to
do some special trick, and the particu-
lar bent of this natural inclination can
only be found after months and months
of practice, and then often by accident.
Parrots are easy to train for simple
tricks; pigeons and doves fly about
when they are tired of work, and are
hard to catch; macaws and ravens are
kpt to turn fiercely upon their teach
ers, with beaks bent upon business.
Marzella has two dancing birds; one
took three years. constant teaching
before it would show any interest in
She work, yet most of the birds are
apparently quite ready to do their best
if they can but discover what is re-
quired of them. Herein comes the
need for a careful and sympathetic
course of work. The birds selected for
training are first kept in cages for
two or three months and always fed
by the trainer, to whom they become
thoroughly accustomed. Their first
exercise consists in walking across
a table at varying rates of speed. Sur
rounded by other birds who have gone
through the mill, the novices soon fall
into line and the trainer is always on
the lookout for any sign of special in
Negligence. If he or she makes a mis-
take by imagining an inclination that
mas no existence in fact months or pos
sibly years of work are likely to be
wasted, for birds very rarely do tricks
to order as dogs and bears will, and
undue coercion can only injure the
trainers pocket. Marzella told me that
some birds are so sensitive that the
tone in which they are addressed must
be carefully studied. Scream angrily
at doves or pigeons and they will come
fluttering round terrified out of all
their performing wits; on the other
hand, very mild language is wasted on
the macaws, which will only work if
spoken to in loud, determined tones.
Daily rehearsals are n sine qua non:
all birds require them, and with more
than 100 pets, some quite and others
only partially developed, it may be
imagined that no small part of the day
is sacred to work. Changes of eli
mate and atmosphere must always be
carefully considered; the occasional
chills will send any rare and delicate
bird to another world, or, in any case,
| out of this one.
Marzella has appeared in Paris, Ber-
| lin and Vienna. In all her work Mar
celia is assisted by her husband, who
has in his time been an acrobat and
also a bird trainer. 1t was his expert
mcnt and suggestion that made her
| decide to devote special attention to
the teaching of doves and pigeons, while
| her success reused her ambition to a
fresh effort. Unquestionably the pow
err of training is a natural gift and
calls into play an instinct that is not
entirely understood. l have seen and
known men who could quell strange
dogs by looking at them and curb the
spirited horses plucliy grooms would
not touch. There would appear to be
something akin to magnetism in their
strange power. Even bull-fghters &C
knowledge the existence of force they
cannot quite explain, but which is the
secret of the greatest triumphs in the
arena. So it is in the lower scale OF
work. Intelligent trainers-who have
nothing in common with men who
merely hire animals already trained
must have some stronger power than
that derived from fear. This is ap,
parent in the case of many birds. When
they are at their special trick they
will go on contentedly without ever
regarding their owner. So long a:
there is no obstacle and their strength
holds out they will persevere steadily
if not quite intelligently. The dog oil
lear which has not been trained by his
exhibitor is altogether different. H,
keeps an anxious, almost appealing, eye
upon his present lord and master, and
must be constantly stimulated by sug
gesti0ns of which the audience does mo-
perceive the fun igniicance.-LondoI
Sketch.