The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-07-14

Win Lnefn Tor ABOUT three InOllAS aAiA
had the time OF his life.
zone day one of the boys let him out
and he ran away and got lost. few
days later made the experiment OF
putting another dog. as much like the
first as possible. in the cage with the
lion. That one didn't last long enough
to tell Of it.
Take the lion and the lamb we have
here. They have been together ever
since they were born, almost, and the
lion is fond Of mutton or lamb, too.
That lion won't work in the arena
unless the lamb is driven in with him.
We have tried it often, but you simply
can't make him perform until the lamb
shows up. and then he will do his act
as well as any of them.
zone of our elephants used to have
a dog for a chun, and would curl his
trunk around the dog at night and the
two would sleep together. That dog got
lost and the trainer of that elephant
worked for three months to get the
beast to accept a new dog Of the same
breed as chum.
1T was no go. Every time that dog
+NaAAlC MAtAtlAl IGdCAl lHCE CACpAlohN
make a wicked blow at him with his
trunk, and the trainer had to give it up
as a bad job
Bears are prabably the easiest to
! train-that is. some bears. The Tibet
bear, though, is no use after he is about
three years old, because he gets savage
I, then and you can't work him, One of
our boys lost the biggest part of his
forearm in scrap with one OF them
!, that had reached the limit a little ear
lier than usual.
THE hyena can be trained to some
extent, but doesn't seem to have as
a much abused animal as rule, and
isn't nearly as savage and vicious as is
supposed. never knew one to attack
a trainer without cause, and the one
attack that was made upon me was the
result of my own carelessness,
"But my particular hobby is MON
keys. would sooner train a big mon
key than any animal know Of Then
it is like a game OF chess-a regular
battle of the wits.
They are so much above all other
animals in intelligence that they give
more trouble than the rest and produce
better results when conquered. Many
time I have had my coat ripped off
my back and been pounded Just as q
man would pound me BY one Of the big
tapes,
Il trained one haboon that used a tri-
cycle and used to lock 1t up and tie 1t
up after he was through, using a rope
and tying it in most wonderful knots
That beast once grabbed me and held
my hands while he bit my face. and an
other time he grabbed my coat, pulled
me toward him. jerked my watch out
of my pocket and smashed me in the
face with it before could dodge.
But the monkeys are the thing, and
{ would sooner have a monkey to train
than to be in a room with million dol
lars
Here La Belle Selica, who in private
life is Mrs. Mack. came in with Miss
Ora Cecil. and took up the story of the
how. selica performs with lions and
Miss Cecil with leopards, a puma and 4
jaguar.
THE little cats" said Miss Cecil, are
nicer than the big ones, ] think, but
more treaeherous, and have to be ham
died each in his or her own way They
are playful at times and like to be pet
ted, but you never can be sure whether
they will hurt you or not.
THE more quiet they are the more
closely you have to watch them, and
they never make me nervous so long as
they snarl and spit and make fuss.
They are trained exactly as the lions
and other animals are and are affected
by the weather and by changes in the
place of performance and In the prop
critics used more than by any change
in the dress Of the performer.
"One funny thing about them, though
Is that cats Of this sort that have been
once handled by a woman will not
work for man. l can't explain it, but
! it's So
selica, who had just finished her
dance with the lions, nodded assent te
all that had been said.
Il like the animals, you know, and
haven't much trouble with them, she
said, "but it isn't what / should call .
nice, quiet occupation for lady. It's
the uncertainty of what is going te
happen that makes one nervous. and
that, coupled with the knowledge that
if the animals ever realize that you are
: afraid Of them your power is gone
helps to keep the tension pretty high.
You see, haven't the aid Of hyp-
motto eye, even If it were any good, IL
! help control the beasts. And the only
hypnotism there is in the game, to BIZ
absolutely frank with you, is the hyp
notism of quiet determination and 3
touch of force, backed by the ignor.
ance of power in the animals.
Seica, it may be said, is the only
American woman lion trainer In thu
world, and was born In New Yorl
about twenty-five years ago Miss &c.
!. ell, who is native Of st. GATHERINGS
: Ontario, is about the same age as Sell
ca; Bobby Mach is only twenty-four
I Bonavita has Just turned twenty-eight
! land Thomas Maksey, another Of thu
[group, is about twenty-five. Not sin,
, gle gray hair in the lot, and not one 0
: them as old as Wallace, the lion tina
= has grown too old to perform, and hal
received more and longer press notice.
: than any other anifal has ever beel
!, credited with, except, possibly, Jumbo
Barnum's old elephant. Is it only thu
lyoung who an succeed In the business