The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-15
Antics of Birds That
Have Been Hypnotized

Special to The Globe.
NEW YORK, Feb. 14-Curator Of
Birds c. w. Beebe, of the New York
geological society, gave the results of
MS experiments in the mesmerizing
OF birds, in an address before the or
ganization at the Waldorf-Astoria this
week.
It is not quite clear what purpose
the efforts of the curator and his staff
are directed to, although vast possi-
bllltleS undoubtedly rest in solution Of
the question, if practical application
be made of the knowledge gained.
The Hindus have been mesmerizing
BIRDS, as they have snakes, for centu-
fles, but the only use they have made
OF their power has been to make Of
the kite a holy bird.
AS Mr.. -Beebe stated, the experiments
were purely tentative. To explain this
ne cited the so-called hypnotism of a
chicken, which consisted of placing the
bird on it's back on a table its head
and neck stretched out straight in
line with the body, and drawing a
chalk line from the tip of its bill to a
point some distance beyond. 1t has
been generally thought that the bird
imagined itself tied with white
string, and SO remained. quiescent.
While this explanation is ingenious.
lit becomes yaluelesS when the expert
ment is made without drawing the line
and succeeds as we'll. This is due to
the stimulus given the nerves by ham
ding the bird, when a result is given
similar to that when bright light like
that from a dark lantern is flashed
suddenly on the eye, which action pro-
duces crude hypnotic state The only
results obtained from this method have
been the production of sound Sleep
after which the subject wakes with a
wild manner and dashes off in search
of liberty
Mr.. Beebe will probably resume this
line of investigation later on, for there are
vast results to be obtained from the hyp-
nothing of the domestic hen.
When eggs are selling at so cents
dozen, and the stubborn hens can be per-
Suaded by no kind of perpetual laying
powders into yielding their golden product.
how may the subtle poultry farmer,
learned in the art Of hypnotism at the $40
a-course school, overcome the stingy pro-
pensities of his Dorkings and PIymouths
and make a millionaire of himself while
times.
Yet against the, suburpanite. whose life.
his first let in Euchreville by the clarion
rooster: which rings the hours and quar-
tiers from midnight to dawn-What a
chance for him will there not be subdu-
ing the aggreSSiveneSS of his arch enemy?
But Mr.. Beebe has much more to say
on the effects Of mesmerism upon the bird
which he thinks the more useful Of the
two agents:
81 have tried mesmerism with much
greater success appealing to the birds
mind directly and disregarding hypnotic
methods. To become as perfectly as pos
sibles en- rapport with a bird it is better
to partly meSmerize oneself. Then when
the mind is more on the level with that
of the subject, 1 have attempted TO force
an idea on its Consciousness, and severai
times have succeeded to my perfect sat
isfaction. A catbird resisted half hours
effort to bring it under control, while after
simply concentrating my mind for five
minutes on a tiny saw -wl1et. owl, perched
on it's cage across the room, / heard a.
sound, and, looking up. saw that the little