The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
ARE MUCH LIKE CHILDREN.
SOME ELEPHANTS ARE FAR HARD
Err TO TEACH THAN OTHERS.
Giving Them the Rudimenis of an
EducatiOn-How the Trainer Goes

NiNlu& thch thS tudimehts OF an
Education-How the Trainer Goes
About ID.
From the New York Evening Post
scores of people ask me every day"
said Keeper Snyder Of the elephant house
in Central Park. recently, "how anything
so stupid-looking and thick-skinned as an
elephant can De taught anything ! tell
them all that elephants are not unlike chill
dren. Some are too duil 10 learn anything.
and others catch an idea quickly Tom.
ne went on, pointing 10 The large elephant
who was busily engaged in throwing hay
on his back, although rascible in dispo-
sition, is quite intelligent. The first rick
/, taught him was to lie down. This was
not so easy TO accomplish as 1t might SEEM
for il took a block ana fall at front and
rear, with gang of fifteen or twenty men
al each end. I stood at one side and as I
said get down his feet were drawn out
from under him. This had to be repeated
only few times before he learned what
Get down meant for him.
ITO teach him to stand ON his hind feet
and on his head block and fan on a
bsam over his head, a snatch block and
Two dSdt ticu III the llOoI anu tue ser
vices of another elephant We're all re-
CURED. As l said Get up the elephant in
harness walked forward, aud Toms front
feet Went up, while his hind feet were
chained together When | said stand on
your head his front feet, which had been
previously chained, remained on the floor,
while his hind feet were drawn up until
they almost literally kicked the beam
These were his first lessons. When he
learned to drill TO risht-about-fa and
'left-about-face,' ! stood en- one side of
HIM end another man on The other and
we each had prod. As | commanded
'right-a bOut-facef he was pushed over 10
the right, and Geft-about-face' nc was
prodded in that direction. l taught him to
waltz in much the same way, only as we
pushed him back and forth we made him
80 clear around and now he is one OF the
best walters in The country. He learned
10 ring the beI and fan himself in one
lesson. Both require the same motion. and
they are really the same trick, although
people never think of that. Yes. he knows
which Is which and never picks up the
ran or napkin when lei him to ring the
bell. ! only had to put each, one at a
time in his trunk and with the fan and
bell shook it, and with the napkin wiped
first one side of his mouth and then the
other. lie took TO hapd-organ grinding like
a Mulberry street Italian. 1t is one of his
faYorite tricks.
The elephant is the only animal whose
legs all bend the same way His hind legs
bend in, and the position required for
creeping is moi very comfortable, but he
does it as well as a baby. His perform
anoes on the harmonica are the most sur
prising to onlOokers but the fact is chat all
The intelligence required for that is holding
the instrument As he must breathe
through his trunk, every breath moves it
back and forth. l discovered that he holds
mis- breath wnen he stands on his hind
legs, by trying to get him to do that and
play the harmonica at the same time: but
his front feet are no sooner up than the
sound ceases until they are down again.
His tub is about two and one-half feet
high, and it took me about an hour to get
MIN TO mount il the first time, and as long
10 get him down from il once he was up
| had finally TO improyise a step from ii
before he would come down He went
right UP again, however, and came down.
and repeated The movement several times
in the first lesson. Now he mounts it and
stands on his hind feet. his front feet his
side feet and weltzes and changes on it,
People all seem TO think that an elephant
has no sense of feeling because his skin is
thick and coarse. The fact is that his skin
j. as sensitive as a babys and If you tickle
him with a straw you viii find ii out. The
flies and mosquitoes are great disturbers
of his peace and he is tossing hay on his
pack now 10 ulSlOuge inen
Tom had his annual bath and oiling a
few days ago and The latter operation pre-
vents his skin from getting too dry In
his native state he treats himself to mud
baths and keeps himself in condition
The feet of the elephant have to be re-
paired frequently for they are as suscept-
Bile to corns and stone bruises as the feet
of people, and they have 10 be cut and
trimmed. You wouldn't think H. would
you, that twice around Toms front foot
when he is standing with his fun weight
upon il. is equal to his hight? 1t is true,
and ii is a rule that seldom varies an inch
in any elephant
THE African elephants have only four
toes and their ears are very large. The
Asiatic elephants have five toes and their
ears are smaller There are few African
elephants in this country, moi more than
three or four Not long ago, at an exhi-
bition in this city, there was a skin of
leather with small ears and comparatively
fine texture (the hide from all elephants
has too large pores to make 1t Of use), and
II was labeled, Hide from an African ele-
plant. People don't know anything about
them"
ENGLISH ARMY BEARsKINS.