The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-04-22
Song of Gagged Birds.

John Burroughs writes Of the "Songs
of American Birds in the Century: II
have never yet seen Gagged bird that |
wanted-at least, not on account Of its
song-nor a wild flower that desired to
transfer to my garden. A Gagged skylark
will sing it's song sitting on bit of turf
in the bottom of the cage, bur you want
to stop your ears, it is so harsh and sib-
liant and penetrating. But up there
against the morning sky. and above the
wide expanse of fields. what delight we
have in it! 1t is not the concord of
sweet sounds: it is the soaring spirit of
gladness and ecstacy raining down upon
US from heavens gate Then, to the
time and the place. if one could only add
the association, or hear the bird through
the vista of the years. the song touched
with the magic of youthful memories!
"A number of years ago a friend in
England sent me a score Of skylarks in
cage. ! gave them their liberty in a
field near my place. They drifted away.
and I never heard them or saw them
again. But one Sunday a Scotchnan
from a neighboring city called upon me
and declared with visible excitement that
on his way along the road he heard
skylark. He was not dreaming; he knew
it was a skylark, though he had not
heard one since he had left the banks of
the Doom, a quarter Of century before.
What pleasure it gave him. How much
more the song meant to him than it
would have meant to me! For the mo-
ment he was on his native heath again.
Then l told him about the larks | had
liberated. and he seemed to enjoy it all
over again with renewed appreciation.
MANY years ago some skylarks were
liberated on Long island, and they be-
came established there, and may now oc-
casionally be heard in certain localities.
One summer day friend of mine was
out there observing them: lark was
soaring and singing in the 81 ky above him.
An old 1rishman came along. and sud
denly stopped. as if transfixed to the
spot; look of mingled delight and cred
ulity came into his face. Was he, in
deed, hearing the bird of his youth? He
took off his hat. turned his face sky
ward, and. with moving lips and stream
ing eyes. stood a long time regarding the
bird. All my friend thought. if
could only hear that song with his earsr
How it brought back his youth and all
those lons-gon days on his native hills,
The power of bird songs over lis is so
much matter of aSSocia ton. Hence it
Is that every traveller to other countries
finds the fcathered sOngster of less merit
than those he left behind The traveller
does not hear the birds in the same re-
ceptive. uncritical frame Of mind as does
the native; they are not in the same way
the voices of the place and the season.
Training animals for Circus Tricks.
There is never Il time in the life of an
anlmal-trainer when he is absolutely safe,
but these men learn to forget their dam
ger Tor 1t becomes as much Il part of
their daily lives as eating or sleeping
rake the case OF an elephant-man, for
instance. One swing of that huge trunk
'ne thrust of the big tusk. or one mis-
step of the ponderous foot would send
him to his death. There is always with
i'll reach the power to kill him. and often
the desire. but he keeps his elephants
afraid of him all the time and they dare
not do what they might like
The veteran elcphant-trainer who has
been in charge of the herds of Barnum
n Bailcys circus for SO many years is
said to have accumulated enough of the
worlds goods to be accounted IL colnpa IA :
lively rich man. Yet the love of his work
Keeps. him ut it year after year taking
his life in his hands perhaps dozen
times day without the slightest hpsita-
ton. His usefulness in this work would
end the day he showed any fear of his
charges. and yet he is no Drawer than YOU
or when other animals are in question
Perhaps the most interesting trained
performers. because Of the apparent dan
ger that surrounds them, are the lions.
tigers and leopards. One trainer used to
go into a steel-barred cage with lions.
tigers and leopards. and make them form
pyramids. He would lie down Oh them
and take all kinds of liberties with the
dangerous creatures. But there were i'll
r.ariaby half a dozen other keepers near
the age with rawhide whips, hot irons.
md pistols c.ose at hand in case of trou-
lie. Even then there were several in
stances of the animals turning on him.
md in enc case-that of the big lion Wal
ace-the Snowman had his arm badly in
ured before he could be rescued
The secret of handling all beasts of the
at species. 50 the animal-tra liners say.
to keep them constantly afraid of you.
the instant they get over their fear they
vii attack anyone who crosses their
.'ath. They are all treachcrous. too, and
,ftcn gather courage for an attack when
be masters eyes are turned away from
hem. although they would not dare re-
volt if he faced them. The tigers arc the
worst of the whole lot. too. One never
knows when they will get over their fear
and spring at the keeper from behind
Harper's Round Table