Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-14
MUSIC AND SAVAGE BREASTS
Seine Experiments Lately Tried On Wild
Animals Prove Interesting.
HOW THE BEASTS TAKE TO THE TUNES
Concord OF sweet sounds Has LtttIe
Eject on Many, but Moves y
Few 60 some Sort OF
Demonstration.

Some interesting experiments we're re-
Gently made to determine the effect Of
music upon different types OF wild animals.
The Ringing Bros. menagerie presented
the opportunity for these Investigators. The
instrument was a violin. OF all the animals
that were tried out on a musical score the
puma and Gland we're the most sensitive.
The Gland is a mild-mannered animal. with
lamb-like eyes and curling hair of maidenly
abundance. Even with this peculiarly sus-
ceptible animal, which has all the hall
marks Of gentle femininity, music was
notable according to its degree of sadness
and glsdness.
For instance, when tuneful numbers were
played the Gland was a bundle Of nervous
interest, and was palpably pleased. This
was evident in the graceful poise OF head,
the alert eye and the muscular sensation
of body that we're eloquent OF satisfaction.
When the note OF music was sad. this same
beautiful animal responded almost like a
human being. The eyes became moist, the
features drawn and the whole effect OF
animal nature, so far as Il could be spelled
from outward signs, was sorrowfully sym
pathetic in the extreme. The traits of the
Wild creature made one think Of a young
girl Of fine feeling and tender nature who
is made easily glad or sad.
Tigers Tastes DiRer.
The tiger was a hard subject to solve.
He is a manly beast in the way Of form and
self-esteem, and not an easy nut to crack
on any account. Some animal students say
he is brave. recklessly so, and others con-
tend that he is not. The truth is, from
the writer's point Of view, he is a handsome
brute with some Of the instinct of human
kind that makes this advantage realized,
and leads to more or less strutting among
his kind.
There were FIVE tigers in the cage, which
was in three compartments, before which
the violinist was placed to demonstrate the
effect Of music upon this species. The first
piece was Annie Laurie"
A sleepy-looking tigress in the end divl-
sion Of the cage was the only one to show
any symptoms OF excitement when this
cherished old ballad was played. She lifted
her eyes In the way of one uncertain Of
hearing, and inquiring. When the second
stanza was half played she had obviously
caught up with an exact notion of things
and became painfully sensitive. She stood
erect, her eyelids moved fast, and her body
fairly trembled, as IL in some saddening
throe Of remembrance. TIL other animals
we're stretched In a confused heap and I'M
affected. The fiddler then changed his tune
to one of negro echoing melody. A young
male tiger, finely drawn in hgure~and fea.
ture, and stunning in color, jumped in the
air at the first bar of this tlngling number.
As the dancing measure was wrought out,
the beautiful beast was a throbbing picture
of responsive interest. His very muscles
seemed to dance sympathetically in time
with the tuneful music. One could not help
but realize tina IL there Is such a thing
~. 80 Tor rnVoin IN four. fO0tad animals
the tiger, or rather this tiger, to be more
specific, has this heavenly gift.
More curious still, probably, the male
master OF the tiger group, a magnificent
specimen Of his kind, fully eight feet long
from head to extremity Of tail and with a
head and eye that betokened intelligence,
eVinced no sign Of interest in what was
doing until Tell Me Pretty Maiden" was
played. Then his majesty Strengthened
out as II he had found a new interest in
life and had begun to appreciate the virtue
OF leadership. No youngster with a high
hat and long gray coat, and chin uphold
Ing collar. in the picture frame Of a stage
could look the part of supreme self-satis-
faction more than did this royal tiger under
the spell Of this musical extract.
Are IrrespOnsive.
The leopards, strange to say, we're as
passive as the butt end Of a log. 1t made
no difference to them what kind Of music
was served; 1t might be sad or glad, fast
or slow, the result was just the same, un-
concern. Even the young cubs, Of which
there we're two, looked blankly into space
and gave no token Of interest. The lion
cubs, on the contrary, danced about like
children In a tenement district when a
fairly goood hand organ is made to play
by its Italian owner.
The hyenas, who are credited In his
tory with a laugh Of potent quality
which has served play writer's and
song writer's and all kinds Of writ
ers for comparison for ages, instead
OF laughing, as we'll ordered hyenas ought
to do to justify this fame. exhibited every
sign Of abject fright. They crouched In
their cage, contracted their faces, closed
their eyes and shivered like upset jelly.
When the music stopped they looked up
with a fearful expression Of appeal that
would make the fortune Of a church debt
litter II he could counterfeit IT.
Rag time music, sentimental tunes, sor-
owful notes, national dances. patriotic
airs, church hymns, operate frenzles we're
played without any perceptible effect upon
this ill-natured beast beyond that Of show
ing that upon one thing, at least, he is an
abject coward. His performance during
this experiment would serve to show that
a musical instrument OF some kind would
be a mighty useful weapon for hunters in
any forest reaches OF thicknesses where
hyenas abound.
II was entirely different at the wolf cage.
These animals briStled with pleased inter