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ofwildan#jj;bostuoft      ,,the         
,,training ,,of ,,wild ,,animals        
,illustration3 ,frank ,c ,bostock       
,,the ,,training ,,of ,,wild ,,animals  
by  ,,frank ,c4 ,,bostock  ,edited by   
,ellen ,velvin1 ,f4,z4,s4 ,author of    
8,rataplan3 a ,rogue ,elephant10 etc4   
,illustration       ,new ,york ,the     
,century ,co4  ,copyright1 #aijc1 by    
,the ,century ,co4  ,published ,july1   
#aijc  ,printed in ,u4 ,s4 ,a4          
,,this ,,book ,,is ,,dedicated     ,,to 
,,my ,,son     ,,francis ,,edward       
,,bostock     ,,contents     ,,chapter  

,,page      ,i  ,,in ,,which ,i ,,become
 8,,the ,,boy ,,trainer0--,a ,,lion     
,,hunt ,,in ,a ,,sewer    #c      ,,ii  
,,origin ,,and ,,history ,,of           
,,wild-,,animal ,,training              
#bc     ,,iii  ,,housekeeping ,,for     
,,wild ,,animals                        
#cd      ,,iv  ,,the ,,feeding ,,of     
,,snakes ,,and ,,elephants              
#fa       ,v  ,,characteristics ,,of    
,,different ,,animals                   
#gf      ,,vi  8,,going ,,bad0--,,animal
 ,,instinct                             
#ig     ,,vii  ,,how ,,wild ,,animals   
,,are ,,captured                        
#aji    ,,viii  ,,the ,,wild ,,animals' 
,,kindergarten                          
#abj      ,,ix  ,,how ,,wild ,,animals  
,,are ,,taught ,,tricks                 
#adc       ,x  ,,an ,,animal ,,show ,,at
 ,,night                                
#aff      ,,xi  ,,the ,,principles ,,of 
,,training                              
#ahb     ,,xii  ,,the ,,animal          
,,trainer--,,some ,,famous ,,trainers   

#bjb    ,,xiii  ,,guarding ,,against    
,,accidents                             
#bbf     ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations    
,,page   ,frank ,c4 ,bostock            
,frontispiece    ,mr4 ,bostock and his  
eight lions                             
#i    99,herman ,weedon and his group of
 lions1 tiger1 brown1 ,tibet1        and
 sloth bears1 ,silesian boarhounds1 and 
hyena                #bj    99,the      
towering of the kings                   
#bf    8,the ,three ,graces0            
#ce    8,denver0 and 8,csar0            
#da    ,mlle4 ,aurora and her polar     
bears                                   
#dh    ,lion monarchs in infancy        
#eg    8,brandu10 the snake-charmer     
#fd    ,m4 ,johnson and his trained     
elephant                                
#gj    99,the old arm-chair             
#gi    ,madame ,pianka                  
#he           ,from a photograph by     
,chickering    ,mr4 ,charles ,miller and
 his ,bengal tigers                     
#ie    ,queer friends--camel1 lionesses1

 and dromedary                     #ajf 
,wild ass1 quagga1 and zebras           
#aaa    99,teaching a lion to ride a    
tricycle                                
#abb    ,polar bear used at             
,pan-,american ,exposition for drawing  
children's carriage                     
#abg    ,elephants and trainer          
#acg    ,trained but not tamed          
#adh    8,depew0                        
#aed    99,a difficult feat             
#afc    998,doc0 balancing himself on a 
ball placed on a see-saw                
#afi    99,jaguars1 leopards1 and       
panthers                                
#agi    99,exchanging confidences       
#aij    ,the largest number of lions    
ever grouped                            
#aif    99,herman ,weedon defying his   
fiercest lion                           
#bje    ,captain ,jack ,bonavita        
#baa           ,from a photograph by    
,frank    99,madame ,morelli and her    
jaguars1 panthers1 and leopards         
#bba    8,consul10 the chimpanzee       

#bcb    99,captain ,bonavita carrying a 
lion weighing five hundred        pounds
                                        
#bch    ,mr4 ,sam ,stevenson            
#bdg           ,from a photograph by    
,frank    ,polar bears at play          
#bec                        99 ,from    
photographs by ,hall4     ,,editor',s   
,,note   ,before editing this book1 ,i  
took the opportunity offered by ,mr4    
,frank ,c4 ,bostock of practically      
living in one of his animal exhibitions 
for a few weeks1 in order to see things 
as they were1 and not as ,i had always  
heard of them4  ,i was allowed to go in 
and out at all times and all hours2 to  
enter the training-schools whenever ,i  
liked2 to go behind the runways and     
cages1--a special privilege given to the
 trainers only1 as a rule1--and to be a 
spectator of whatever happened to be    
going on at the time4  ,the thing which 
interested me most1 and to which ,i paid
 special attention1 was that at no time 
in this exhibition did ,i once see the  

slightest act of cruelty in any way4    
,each one of the trainers and keepers   
had pride in his own special animals1   
and ,i had many proofs of their kindness
 and consideration to their charges4    
,the sick animals were most carefully   
looked after and doctored1 and in one   
case of a lion cub having convulsions1  
,i noticed dim eyes in more than one    
keeper when the poor little animal was  
convulsed and racked with suffering4    
,had ,i seen the least cruelty or       
neglect in any way1 ,i need scarcely say
 nothing would have induced me to edit  
this book4                              
,,ellen ,,velvin4   ,,new ,,york ,,city1
  ,june #hth1 #aijc4     ,,preface      
,the big and little men and women of the
 jungle have ever fascinated me4 ,as a  
child1 ,i used often to romp with cubs  
attached to the traveling menageries of 
my parents and grandfather4 ,most of my 
boyhood1 and virtually all of my youth1 
was passed in the almost daily          
companionship of wild animals4 ,at no   

time have these far-traveled aliens     
failed to interest me4 ,indeed1 ,i      
believe the subject engrosses me more   
to-day than it ever did4 ,no two members
 of a species are alike4 ,their         
individualities are as clearly marked as
 are ours of the bigger life4 ,i early  
learned that certain traits of my animal
 acquaintances were easily to be likened
 to qualities of real men and women4    
,longer acquaintance ripened my         
knowledge and understanding4 ,many and  
many a lion and tiger have ,i known that
 were quite as mean and untrustworthy as
 men4 ,others ,i met in plenty who would
 scorn an unfair advantage4 ,most of    
them ,i found to be fair1 considerate1  
friendly1 and genuinely affectionate4   
,in time ,i learned to understand my    
fellows of the cages1 got as close1     
perhaps1 as it is possible for man to   
get to mute creatures1 and enjoyed the  
assurance that they understood and      
appreciated me4  ,in my earlier years1  
,i didn't1 ,i fear1 altogether          

appreciate the good fortune of this     
companionship2 but later1 when maturity 
and reflection illumined my way1 ,i was 
duly grateful for these friends1 and1   
from being fond of but some1 gradually  
grew to love all4 ,recognizing as ,i did
 with my broadening life the limitations
 of their knowledge of us1 ,i learned   
not to blame the slow or the rebellious4
  ,at about this period of my career as 
a trainer and exhibitor1 it occurred to 
me that perhaps ,i was wrong in being   
the jailer of these friends2 that       
doubtless their original freedom of     
forest1 desert1 and jungle was their    
right1--one that could not be trespassed
 upon with honesty4 ,the question of    
whether ,i was wrong or right bothered  
me for a long while1 and many an ache ,i
 had while wrestling with it4 ,i saw    
these untamed men and women back in     
their own2 saw them crouching at night  
in hidden fastnesses1 awaiting the      
coming of prey2 saw tragedies of the    
jungle2 recalled too frequent ravages of

 human life1 sometimes from hunger and  
again through sheer lust4 ,i traced to  
authentic sources long records of these 
acquaintances of mine found on their own
 playgrounds dying and dead from hunger 
and thirst or the shot of the hunter of 
sport or gain4 ,i thought1 in these     
reflections1 of the horse in his first  
wild state1 of the zebra and the        
elephant2 how these had been reclaimed  
from truculence with benefit to         
themselves and humanity4 ,i considered1 
too1 the demands of modern education1   
the obligations of natural historians1  
the incalculable value of living objects
 for study4 ,i knew my friends of the   
jungle suffered no discomforts with me4 
,my problem then resolved itself to     
this3 ,should ,i recommit my charges    
back to their own1 and cease abetting   
further captures1 or should ,i continue 
to guard and cherish my friends1 thus   
saving them and their weaker neighbors  
from the certain evils of the wilds8    
,surely1 ,i reasoned1 their better      

welfare is assured here with me2 they   
never hunger1 thirst1 suffer violent    
deaths1 nor administer any4             
,incontestably they show that captivity 
is not a hardship4 ,feeling thus1 can ,i
 conscientiously abandon them1 where by 
continuing ,i may benefit them and      
others4  ,the result of these and like  
deliberations was a decision to continue
 the work of my forebears4  ,the        
training of my dumb companions is never 
cruel1--less so1 perhaps1 when the      
difference of organization is           
considered1 than the firmness exercised 
occasionally in the correction of an    
evilly disposed child4 ,kindness is the 
whip used to lead wild animals to obey4 
,without it none can be made to         
understand4 ,with confidence1           
established and maintained by kindness  
and gentleness1 the most savage beast   
may be transformed into a willing and   
even eager pupil4 ,of course1 there are 
limitations to the intelligence of wild 
animals4 ,these limitations are pretty  

clearly established4 ,the pupils are    
invariably capable of greater           
understanding and achievement than they 
are ever called upon to display4 ,it is 
quite probable that other generations   
will carry wild-animal training further1
 but at the stage at which ,i have      
stopped ,i am content4 ,i understand my 
associates1 and know they understand me4
 ,i should be sorry to learn that the   
thoughtful of the public denied to my   
devotion the instructive and humane     
incentives that have sustained it4  ,for
 some of the matter of the volume1      
incorporated from an article on         
wild-animal training1 written after an  
interview with me1 ,i wish to express my
 thanks to ,mr4 ,s4,h4 ,adams4          
,f4 ,c4 ,b4       8,the ,training of    
,lions1 ,tigers1 and other ,great       
,cats10 by         ,samuel ,hopkins     
,adams1 8,mc,clure's ,magazine10        
,september1 #aijj4     ,,the ,,training 
,,of ,,wild ,,animals     ,,chapter ,i  
,,in ,,which ,i ,,become 8,,the ,,boy   

,,trainer0--,a ,,lion ,,hunt ,,in ,a    
,,sewer   ,although my family was one of
 animal trainers and exhibitors1 my     
father did not wish me to follow so     
hazardous a profession1 and decided that
 ,i should become a clergyman of the    
,church of ,england4 ,my early education
 was carefully looked after1 and having 
completed my preparatory course under   
private tutors1 ,i finally went to      
,kelvedon ,college in ,essex1 ,england1 
where ,i did well4 ,i was fond of study1
 had good masters1--who always impressed
 upon me the fact that 8he who would    
hope to command must learn to           
obey10--and gained some honors4  ,but   
during one vacation ,i went home and saw
 my father's wild-animal exhibition1 and
 there all the glamour and fascination  
of the show came upon me4 ,there is no  
doubt ,i had inherited my father's      
instincts4 ,the lion-tamer my father had
 at that time was the great feature of  
the show4 ,it struck me1 however1 that  
he was extremely cruel1 and being very  

fond of animals myself1 this aroused my 
indignation4 ,i spoke to my father about
 it rather warmly1 but he1 evidently    
thinking it a boy's impetuosity1 laughed
 it off1 saying the man was only        
protecting himself4  ,that same evening1
 however1 the trainer handled the lion  
so roughly that1 enraged at the         
injustice and indignities to which he   
was subjected1 the animal suddenly      
turned upon him1 and would certainly    
have killed him had not prompt          
assistance been rendered4  ,wrought up  
and excited by the occurrence1 ,i begged
 my father to let me take his place1 but
 he would not hear of it4 ,the next day 
,i took the law into my own hands1 and  
it was in the lion's cage that my father
 found me1 to his horror1 when casually 
going the rounds of the show4 ,he       
watched me for a while in fear and      
trembling1 and then said1 his voice     
quivering with anger and fright3  8,if  
ever you get out of there alive1 my lad1
 ,i'll give you the biggest thrashing   

you ever had in your life40  ,but he    
didn't4 ,he was so overjoyed at my      
safety and so proud of my success1 that 
after much persuasion ,i got him to     
allow me to take the place of the       
incapacitated trainer4 ,i was fifteen at
 this time1 and was called 8,the ,boy   
,trainer40 ,from that time my college   
days were over1 and ,i knew there could 
never be any other life for me than that
 of a trainer and showman4  ,i have     
never regretted this step2 but ,i often 
look back upon my peaceful college days 
with great pleasure1 for they laid the  
foundation of good principles1          
self-control1 and discipline2 and ,i    
have always made it my chief endeavor   
never to allow anything the least vulgar
 or offensive in my exhibitions4  ,there
 is a fascination about wild-animal     
training which few who have once felt it
 escape4 ,the constant presence of      
danger calls for quick judgment and     
promptness in meeting an emergency4 ,a  
thrilling experience of mine in         

,birmingham1 ,england1 in #ahhi1 may    
show the critical situation in which a  
wild-animal showman is sometimes placed4
  ,a country fair was being held at the 
time1 very similar to the fairs held in 
,america1 which bring into the city     
country people from all parts1 most of  
whom look upon them as events in their  
lives4  ,we had a remarkably fine       
specimen of an ,african lion at that    
time2 well formed1 well grown1 with a   
handsome head and shoulders covered with
 a fine darkish mane4 ,he had been much 
admired1 and had been referred to by    
several naturalists as a typical king of
 beasts for his haughtiness and         
dignified bearing4  ,this lion was1     
however1 one of the greatest worries and
 anxieties ,i have ever had4 ,he had    
killed one man1 and wounded several     
attendants1 so powerful were his paws1  
and so quick his movements in reaching  
out of his cage4 ,he required the most  
careful watching at all times1 and was a
 very difficult animal to manage1 in    

spite of unlimited time and patience    
spent on him4 ,kindness had no effect on
 him whatever4 ,special dainties he took
 with a growl1 watching all the time for
 the least opportunity to grab and tear 
the giver4 ,to attempt any sort of      
punishment or discipline with him would 
have been fatal2 he was far too         
dangerous an animal to risk arousing his
 wild nature1 and the only thing we     
could do was to keep him perfectly      
quiet1 see that he was not irritated in 
any way1 and was made as comfortable and
 happy as was possible1 with good food1 
a clean house1 and another lion for     
companionship4  ,the second lion was    
removed from the malcontent by an iron  
partition1 as it appeared a little      
doubtful how he would be received4 ,we  
intended transferring both lions on the 
opening day to a much larger cage1 where
 they would have more space and comfort1
 and also have a much better opportunity
 of being seen4  ,the opening day was   
remarkable for its fine weather2 crowds 

of people were flocking into the city   
from all parts1 and everything promised 
to be a huge success4 ,we ran one of our
 big cages on wheels up to the cage     
containing the two lions1 and placing   
the cages door to door1 dropped a lasso 
over the quiet lion's neck1 and by      
gentle twitches induced him to enter the
 big cage4  ,then we tried the same     
tactics with the ,african lion1 but with
 very different results4 ,time after    
time he slipped the noose from his great
 body and tore madly up and down the    
cage1 as though possessed of the        
strength of twenty lions4 ,we waited a  
few minutes until he stopped to roar1   
and then once more slipped the rope over
 him4 ,with a terrific wrench and twist 
he got himself free1 and with such a    
wild bound that the cages shook again he
 sprang into the next cage so suddenly1 
and with such terrific force as to cause
 the wagon to move away upon its wheels2
 and before the attendants could close  
the door1 he sprang over their heads and

 into the street1 where for the time he 
was as free and untrammeled as when in  
his native wilds4  ,illustration3 ,,mr4 
,,bostock ,,and ,,his ,,eight ,,lions   
,to approach him probably meant death1  
but in spite of this we tried to capture
 him with ropes and the lasso1 but      
without success4 ,suddenly he turned    
back1 dashed through the lions' tent to 
the rear of the building1 pushed himself
 through a rift1 and made off for the   
city of ,birmingham1 which contained at 
that time over two hundred thousand     
people4  ,on his way he came to one of  
the openings of the many sewers which   
empty the waste of the city1 and down he
 sprang1 looking up at the crowd of     
people and roaring at the top of his    
voice4 ,in about twenty minutes nearly  
every person in ,birmingham knew what   
had happened1 and the greatest          
consternation prevailed everywhere4 ,the
 fear was intensified by the fact that  
as the lion made his way through the    
sewers1 he stopped at every manhole he  

came to1 and there sent up a succession 
of roars that echoed and reverberated   
until the very earth seemed to be full  
of weird sounds1 driving some of the    
people nearly wild with terror4  ,i was 
at my wits' end4 ,there was the danger  
of the lion escaping from the sewer at  
any moment and killing some one1 for    
which ,i should be responsible1 while   
there was also the greater danger that  
there would be a riot among the crowd4  
,something must be done to allay their  
fears1 and quickly4 ,people were        
beginning to flock toward the menagerie 
in thousands1 with anything but         
complimentary speeches4  ,after one of  
the worst quarters of an hour ,i ever   
spent1 ,i gathered as many of my men as 
could be spared from the show1 put a    
lion into a large shifting-cage1 and    
covering the whole thing with canvas1 in
 order that the lion should not be seen1
 we set off for the mouth of the sewer1 
all armed with as many ropes1           
pitchforks1 pistols1 etc41 as we could  

carry4 ,on arriving1 we placed the cage 
at the mouth of the sewer1 with the door
 facing it4 ,i knew perfectly well that 
the lion would much prefer to remain in 
his cage than to enter the darkness of  
that evil-smelling sewer1 and so it     
proved4  ,then1 with three of my        
attendants1 ,i went three blocks back1  
lowering ropes down each of the manholes
 on our way until we pretended we had   
found the lion1 and then ,i lowered     
myself into the depths through the third
 manhole4 ,the next thing was to fire   
blank cartridges1 blow horns1 and shout 
as loudly as possible1 and1 owing to the
 peculiar echo1 the noise was deafening4
 ,one of the attendants had been        
instructed at a given signal to lift the
 iron door of the cage up and down      
quickly1 and then suddenly clap the door
 down with a shout4  ,everything went   
off well4 ,at the sound of the door     
closing1 a shout went up from the crowd3
  8,they've got him6 ,they've got him6  
,they've got the lion60  ,the cage      

containing the lion was then driven     
quickly toward the menagerie1 with      
myself and attendants seated on top1    
followed by an admiring crowd of        
thousands of people4 ,when we finally   
reached the front of the exhibition1    
some of the men in the crowd rushed     
forward and carried me in victory on    
their shoulders into the menagerie1     
while the cage containing the bogus lion
 was restored to its original place in  
the menagerie4 ,over forty thousand     
people filed into the show1 until we    
were positively obliged to refuse       
admission to any more4  ,meanwhile ,i   
was in a perfect bath of cold           
perspiration1 for matters were extremely
 serious1 and ,i knew not what to do    
next4 ,the fears of the people were     
allayed for the time1 and a probable    
riot had been stopped only just in time1
 but the lion was still in the sewer4   
,he might get out at any moment--might  
be out even then1 for all ,i knew--or he
 might roar again and so let his        

whereabouts be known and my deception1  
which would cause a greater riot than   
before4  ,as soon as possible ,i placed 
trusty men with iron bars at the mouth  
of the sewer2 and as1 fortunately1 the  
lion stopped his roaring1 and contented 
himself with perambulating up and down  
the sewer through the narrow miles of   
tunneling1 things were quiet for the    
time4 ,when everything had been done    
that was possible ,i went to bed1 but as
 that was the most anxious night ,i have
 ever had1 it is scarcely necessary for 
me to say that sleep was out of the     
question4  ,on the afternoon of the     
following day1 the chief of police of   
,birmingham came to see me1 and         
congratulated me on my marvelous pluck  
and daring4 ,this made me feel worse    
than before1 and ,i at once made a clean
 breast of the whole thing4 ,i shall    
never forget that man's face when he    
realized that the lion was still in the 
sewer3 it was a wonderful study for any 
mind-reader4 ,at first he was inclined  

to blame me2 but when ,i showed him ,i  
had probably stopped a panic1 and that  
my own liabilities in the matter were   
pretty grave possibilities to face1 he  
sympathized with me1 and added that any 
help he could give me1 ,i might have4   
,i at once asked for five hundred men of
 the police force1 and also asked that  
he would instruct the superintendent of 
sewers to send me the bravest men he    
could spare1 with their top-boots1      
ladders1 ropes1 and revolvers with them1
 so that should the lion appear1 any man
 could do his best to shoot him at      
sight4 ,we arranged that we should set  
out at five minutes to twelve1 midnight1
 so that we might avoid any crowd       
following us1 and so spreading the      
report4  ,at the appointed time1 the    
police and sewer-men turned out1 and ,i 
have never seen so many murderous       
weapons at one time in my life4 ,each   
man looked like a walking arsenal1 but  
every one of them had been sworn to     
secrecy1 and there was determination and

 desire for adventure on the face of    
each one4 ,among so many1 and with so   
much ammunition1 the danger had         
diminished to a minimum1 provided the   
lion did not get one man at a time      
cornered in some narrow place4  ,the    
police and sewer-men were to be         
stationed at every manhole in every     
district in which the lion was believed 
to be1 within a radius of a mile4 ,the  
empty cage was brought and placed at the
 mouth of the sewer1 the other end of   
which had been blocked up so that the   
lion's only means of exit was the open  
door of the cage4  ,then three trusty   
men and myself1 accompanied by my giant 
boar-hound1 ,marco1 lowered ourselves   
into the manhole1 crawling on our hands 
and knees1 and not knowing at any moment
 when we should come upon the lion4     
,with such suddenness that we all       
jumped1 ,marco gave a sharp bark1       
followed by a curious throaty growl1 and
 ,i knew that the faithful creature had 
found the scent and was giving warning  

of the enemy's whereabouts4  ,this      
boar-hound of mine had been trained to  
perform with wild animals and lions1 and
 was a stanch and game fighter4 ,he was 
not to be cowed by any lion on earth1   
but if he could only once get a hold1   
would hang on like grim death4 ,as we   
went slowly and cautiously along1 ,i    
suddenly saw two gleaming eyes of       
greenish-red just beyond1 and knew we   
were face to face with the lion at last4
  ,i at once sent one man back to shout 
the location of the runaway to the      
others1 and then1 dropping on all fours1
 blowing horns1 firing off blank        
cartridges1 and letting off ,roman      
candles1--which spat and fizzed in a    
most uncanny manner in the tunnel1--we  
went cautiously forward1 hoping to drive
 the lion to his cage1 only two blocks  
away4  ,but at this juncture a terrific 
fight took place between the boar-hound 
and the lion1 and it is needless to say 
that the danger to all parties under    
these circumstances in that narrow1 dark

 sewer was extremely great4 ,it was not 
until the boar-hound had been severely  
slashed and torn by the lion on his     
shoulders and hind quarters1 and his    
head badly bitten in several places1    
that he left his savage antagonist and  
came to me with a whimper for           
protection4 ,he had held on until he was
 at his last gasp1 and had let go only  
just in time to save his life4 ,i sent  
him back to the men to be taken care of1
 and then went on with the fight myself4
  ,taking off my big jack-boots1 ,i put 
them on my hands and arms1 and going up 
close to the lion1 was fortunately able 
to hit him a stinging blow on the nose  
with one of them4 ,fearing that he would
 split my head open with a blow from one
 of his huge paws1 ,i told one of my men
 to place over my head a large iron     
kettle which we had used to carry       
cartridges and other things to the      
sewer4 ,while he was trying to fix this1
 the kettle tipped and rolled over and  
went crashing down the sewer1 making a  

noise and racket which echoed and       
resounded throughout the whole length of
 the narrow tunnel in the most appalling
 manner4  ,the lion1 who had resisted   
everything else in the way of capture1  
at once turned tail like a veritable    
coward1 and1 racing down the sewer at a 
mad gallop1 was soon lost to sight1 as  
though the earth had suddenly swallowed 
him4 ,we wondered where he could have   
gone1 as he had not had time enough to  
run far1 but following him up1 we found 
him in a sorry plight4  ,illustration3  
,,herman ,,weedon ,,and ,,his ,,group   
,,of ,,lions1 ,,tiger1 ,,brown1 ,,tibet1
 ,,and ,,sloth ,,bears1 ,,silesian      
,,boarhounds1 ,,and ,,hyena  ,there was 
an eight-foot fall in the rear of the   
sewer1 and this was evidently his reason
 for being so reluctant to turn back    
until frightened by the kettle4 ,we did 
not know of this1 and consequently      
tumbled headlong into it4 ,we were not  
hurt1 and as the lion was now roaring   
terrifically1 we followed him up and    

soon found out the cause of his trouble4
 ,in the act of falling he had caught   
his hind legs and quarters in one of the
 slip-nooses which had been dropped down
 the manhole to secure him1 and was     
hanging head downward from the manhole4 
,other strong ropes were let down       
immediately1 for he would soon have died
 in that position1 and we were fortunate
 enough to secure his head and fore     
paws4 ,the cage was then placed at the  
manhole1 and when we had run the ropes  
through the cage and out over the       
sidewalk1 the men began to haul1 and in 
this unkingly fashion the king of beasts
 was dragged out of his prison and into 
his cage once more1 where he never again
 had an opportunity to escape4 ,so ,i   
got the lion out of the sewer1 as the   
people of ,birmingham supposed ,i did1  
only their praise and applause were a   
little previous4 ,but ,i hope never to  
have such another terrible experience4  
,,chapter ,,ii  ,,origin ,,and ,,history
 ,,of ,,wild-,,animal ,,training   ,the 

arena has been in use for public        
spectacles and amusements from the      
earliest ages1 and its popularity has   
never diminished4 ,the great changes1   
however1 which have taken place have    
developed it into a civilized1          
instructive spectacle1 instead of a     
barbarous and cruel performance         
presented only for the purpose of       
exciting men's passions4  ,lions have   
always played a prominent part in these 
public amusements and exhibitions4 ,they
 were led as trophies in the triumphs of
 semi-barbarians1 and were exhibited and
 sacrificed by thousands in the ,roman  
amphitheater4 ,six hundred were provided
 by ,pompey for a single festival4 ,that
 the lion should always have figured    
thus in history is but natural4 ,he is  
the king of beasts1 and though there are
 other wild animals more intelligent in 
some ways1 he always has held1 and      
always will hold1 this supremacy over   
all other brutes4  ,no wild animals were
 ever trained by the ancients4 ,it was  

in turning the power and superiority of 
man over animals to financial account   
that the art of training wild animals   
was first conceived1 and it was to      
further financial gain that it has been 
advanced step by step since1 though the 
final development of each step has been 
made by a small number of men who have  
had an inborn love of daring1 and an    
insatiable desire for the accomplishment
 of the hazardous4  ,george ,wombwell1  
from whom ,i am directly descended1 was 
one of the first men who saw the great  
possibilities in the training of wild   
animals1 although what actually led to  
the present advanced stage was the      
result of chance4 ,wombwell's traveling 
show was established in ,england in     
#ahje1 and the first wild-animal show1  
in which the most ferocious of the large
 felines were used1 was formed three    
years later4  ,illustration3 ,,the      
,,towering ,,of ,,the ,,kings  ,trained 
monkeys and many highly trained domestic
 animals were known in ,europe1 but     

never before had lions and tigers been  
subjugated to daily association with    
men4 ,at that time a traveling show of  
the ,wombwell type was similar in many  
respects to the great circuses of       
to-day1 its chief point of similarity   
being its amalgamation with a menagerie4
 ,the importation of ,asiatic and       
,african animals was1 of course1 less   
frequent and more expensive than now1   
with the result that the menageries were
 smaller and less diversified4 ,the     
greatest care was taken of the animals1 
chiefly on account of their commercial  
value1 but the proprietors were heavily 
handicapped by their lack of knowledge  
respecting animal ways and requirements4
  ,it was a matter of frequent          
occurrence to take any little sick cubs 
into the family1 and nurse and watch    
over them as one would a sick child4 ,it
 was on such an occasion that ,george   
,wombwell thought of training wild      
animals as a good business speculation4 
,he had just received two young lions   

from ,africa1 and on their arrival they 
were found to be in an extremely weak   
condition from bad feeding1 neglect of  
cleanliness1 and violent seasickness4   
,it was clear that unless the greatest  
care and attention were given to them   
they would very soon die4 ,wombwell put 
one man to attend only to these cubs1   
watching over them night and day1 and   
nursing them with all possible care4    
,the man who lived with these young     
lions1 ministering to their necessities 
and comforts1 was in daily association  
with his charges for several weeks1 and 
in that time acquired a familiarity     
which lessened his fear of them4 ,he fed
 them daily from his own hands1 kept    
them warm and clean1 bedded them with   
fresh1 dry straw morning and evening1   
dressed1 and finally cured the sores    
which filth and neglect had caused on   
their sides and limbs1 and by the time  
they were once more in good condition he
 had developed a strong affection for   
them4  ,when he had to leave the lions  

altogether1 he seemed to feel the       
separation very much1 and the idea      
suggested itself to ,wombwell that not  
only would the exhibition of two lions  
and a man in the same cage be a distinct
 novelty1 but it would be a splendid    
financial speculation4 ,there appeared  
to be very little1 if any1 danger1 now  
that the three had grown accustomed to  
one another1 so that when the man begged
 that the association should not be     
broken1 ,wombwell told him of his idea1 
to which he readily consented4 ,in a few
 days he announced to the provincial    
public that he would exhibit a          
8lion-tamer10 and thousands came from   
near and far to witness this wonderful  
sight4 ,such was the beginning4  ,that  
was less than a hundred years ago4 ,then
 two sick cubs with a quiet man sitting 
between them aroused the curiosity of   
all ,england1 while now a man goes into 
the arena with twenty-seven full-grown  
male lions and makes them perform at the
 same time6  ,from that first incident1 

the advance in animal training for      
exhibition purposes has been steady4    
,many things have been done which no one
 ever believed could be done2 many      
valuable facts and characteristics about
 wild animals discovered which would1 in
 all probability1 never have been known 
to science otherwise2 and a great many  
lessons learned as to the wonderful     
power of man over all the animal        
creation1 if exercised in the proper    
manner4  ,the advance was much slower at
 the start than it is now1 when every   
year sees as great improvement in animal
 training as ten years did a century    
ago4 ,it was five years before ,george  
,wombwell realized that it was possible 
for almost any animal to be trained and 
handled if he could only find the right 
man to do the handling4 ,but that was   
then1 and is now1 a matter of the       
greatest difficulty4  ,the progress     
during the first three quarters of the  
last century was very slow4 ,there were 
various performances in which a man or a

 woman entered the arena with wild      
animals and put them through very       
elementary drills2 but it was within the
 last twenty years only that the        
involved groups and elaborate tricks of 
the present day have been suggested and 
produced4  ,many things were not known  
formerly respecting the control of      
animals1 which now form the very first  
essentials for all trainers1 and        
accidents were more frequent and more   
dangerous4 ,one of ,wombwell's most     
famous trainers was ,ellen ,bright1 a   
girl who achieved a great reputation4   
,unfortunately1 owing to some slight    
carelessness on her part1 she was killed
 by a tiger in #ahhj1 when only         
seventeen years old4 ,had she only      
realized more fully the need of patience
 and firmness with wild animals1 there  
is no doubt whatever that the accident  
which caused her death would not have   
taken place4  ,when it is considered how
 many trainers there now are1 with how  
many animals they perform at one time1  

what difficulties they have to face1 not
 only with such numbers1 but with such  
diverse creatures naturally so          
antagonistic to one another1 as in the  
case of the mixed groups1 and how       
comparatively few accidents happen1 it  
can be readily understood how far this  
science has progressed4  ,perhaps of all
 the types of animal training these     
mixed groups are the most wonderful4    
,lions and tigers instinctively hate    
each other1 and in their native state   
look with contempt on jackals and       
hyenas4 ,were a lion and a tiger to meet
 in the jungle1 it would mean a fight to
 the death4 ,if two or more male lions  
meet in their native haunts1 a fierce   
fight is the natural sequence1 until    
only one is left to bear witness by his 
scars and tears of the terrible battle  
which has been fought4 ,should a jackal 
or a hyena see the king of beasts1 he   
skulks around until his majesty has     
finished his meal1 and then sneaks      
forward to take the leavings4  ,and yet1

 in these mixed groups1 lions1 tigers1  
hyenas1 sloth-bears1 polar bears1 and   
,tibet bears are all together in the    
same arena2 one sits quietly on his     
pedestal while another goes through his 
act2 the lion has to associate with the 
hyena2 and in some cases two animals1   
naturally antagonistic to each other1   
and coming from far corners of the      
globe1 perform together without even    
showing that they object1 and have been 
subjected to this gross indignity by the
 superiority of man4  ,it took ,herman  
,weedon years of patient and painstaking
 toil and trouble to bring his group to 
its present state of perfection4 ,the   
hardest task of all is to accustom      
animals of one kind to tolerate the     
presence of animals of another kind4    
,there is always the danger of a fight1 
which between two wild animals generally
 ends in the death of one or the other1 
and the trainer has to consider the     
interests of his employer as well as the
 great risk to his own life4  ,in       

arranging a mixed group1 each animal has
 to be studied carefully2 his           
idiosyncrasies must be humored1 his     
characteristics must be known and ever  
borne in mind2 the animosity between the
 wild beasts must be taken into careful 
consideration1 and the methods of       
teaching must vary with each animal     
according to its special traits4 ,it    
means years of patient effort1 because  
it is practically training animal nature
 against its instincts1 and the final   
result of amity1 or assumed amity1      
between such antagonistic forces is for 
this reason one of the greatest proofs  
of the extent of man's power over wild  
animals4     ,,chapter ,,iii            
,,housekeeping ,,for ,,wild ,,animals   
,there are three essentials in the care 
and feeding of wild animals--good food1 
cleanliness1 and exercise4 ,food and    
cleanliness come first1 but exercise is 
nearly as important1 and this is one of 
the main reasons why animals in         
traveling shows are so much healthier   

and stronger than those kept in         
zoological parks4 ,in the parks they get
 food and cleanliness1 but little       
exercise2 for wild animals are          
proverbially lazy1 and1 unless compelled
 by hunger or force of circumstances1   
will not exert themselves in the least1 
preferring to lie about and sleep rather
 than even to walk round their cages4   
,illustration3 8,,the ,,three ,,graces0 
,with trained animals especially1 the   
trainers make it one of their chief     
objects to give their animals exercise2 
first1 to keep them in good condition1  
and1 secondly1 to make them more alert  
and active4 ,captain ,bonavita1 a       
well-known trainer1 makes it a rule to  
take out all his lions1 whether         
performing that week or not1 and        
exercise them up and down the passages1 
the runways behind the cages1 or in the 
arena4  ,in doing this there are        
difficulties4 ,all wild animals1        
especially lions1 dislike movement4     
,true1 they pace up and down their      

cages1 but this is only when waiting for
 food1 or because they have discovered a
 stranger in the building and resent it4
 ,this pacing is not exercise enough4   
,think of the miles a lion has to race  
in his wild state in search of food6    
,but in captivity there is no inducement
 to take any exercise at all4 ,he is fed
 well and regularly1 for his commercial 
value is considerable1 and he is well   
worth taking care of4 ,he knows that he 
will get his food in some way or other1 
and so the most he does in the matter is
 to pace restlessly up and down his     
small cage and exercise his lungs by    
roaring occasionally4  ,having to go    
through two performances a day compels  
the animal to take a certain amount of  
regular exercise1 which he always       
resents1 but which improves his health  
and condition4 ,this is the reason that 
trained animals have such good sleek    
coats1--a true test of the condition of 
an animal1--well-grown1 thick manes1 and
 clean mouths1 feet1 and eyes4  ,there  

can be no doubt whatever that all wild  
animals enjoy a change of air and scene4
 ,watch a lion or a tiger when anything 
strange or unusual takes place4 ,he will
 rise up and do his best to investigate1
 and1 failing in this1 he walks about   
and roars at the top of his voice4 ,and 
although this is a little trying to the 
nerves of some of his hearers1 he is all
 the better for it in many ways4  ,it   
has been noticed by many animal owners  
and trainers1 and ,i have invariably    
noticed it myself1 that the animals grow
 listless and indifferent after being in
 one place for a long time2 but as soon 
as they begin to travel1 they rouse     
themselves and take an interest in all  
that is going on4 ,very few animals roar
 or make any sound when traveling1 but  
they are1 nevertheless1 always on the   
qui vive to know what is happening1 and 
evidently take a great interest in it   
all4 ,the very movement of the wagons   
and trains1 although occasionally       
upsetting them for a short time1 proves 

beneficial in stirring up their livers1 
which often grow torpid from the        
sedentary life4  ,many have the idea    
that wild animals are very robust1 but  
this is a great mistake4 ,instead of    
being in strong and rude health1 they   
are subject to all kinds of ailments1   
and in many cases have to be looked     
after as carefully as an infant4 ,lions 
are subject to colds and coughs1 and to 
very serious tuberculosis1 which often  
ends fatally in less than eight months1 
its course being far more rapid with    
them than with men4  ,another trouble   
with lions is that they are much        
afflicted with rheumatism1 and unless   
kept in a dry and warm place1 get so    
crippled in the joints that they not    
only become valueless for show purposes1
 but very often have to be killed in    
order to put them out of their misery--a
 serious loss when a lion has cost over 
a thousand dollars and has increased his
 value by becoming a good performer4    
,lionesses1 too1 are subject to a large 

number of complaints1 and even when     
fairly healthy and strong require       
unceasing attention4 ,it is a very      
critical time when a lioness is about to
 have cubs4 ,the lioness is invariably  
more restless and much quicker in       
movement than the lion1 but when        
expecting to become a mother her        
restlessness is terrible1 and her       
excitement1 if allowed to get the least 
bit beyond her control1 very frequently 
results in her not only killing all her 
little ones1 but actually eating them4  
,and when this has once happened1 it is 
a rare thing ever to make a good mother 
of her1 for she will do it again and    
again1 not through dislike or fear of   
her offspring1 but simply because she is
 restless and unnerved1 and does not    
seem to know what she is doing in her   
distress4  ,of course1 in addition to   
ordinary complaints1 there are other    
things which affect the health of wild  
animals4 ,in a free fight among wild    
beasts1 such as happened at one time    

with ,captain ,bonavita's lions1 the    
animals received serious injuries4 ,it  
takes very little to start lions        
fighting2 it is their nature to fight   
one another1 and it is only by training 
and the wonderful power which ,captain  
,bonavita holds over his animals1 that  
this large number of wild beasts is made
 to sit calmly round on pedestals and   
not even touch one another4             
,illustration3 8,,denver0 ,,and         
8,c,,sar0  ,in this case ,captain       
,bonavita had turned his twenty-seven   
lions out into the runway behind the    
cages in preparation for the            
performance1 when ,denver1 one of the   
biggest and fiercest ,nubian lions1     
suddenly started a fight with another   
lion4 ,in a very few minutes the whole  
twenty-seven lions were fighting madly  
in the narrow passageway1 with one man  
among them1 for whom at that moment they
 had nothing but supreme contempt4      
,captain ,bonavita did his best to      
separate the animals1 and took some     

desperate chances while doing so1 for   
the lions were only too ready for       
something to fight2 but it was all      
useless4 ,he shouted orders to them1    
called them by name1 fired blank        
cartridges1 and when he had exhausted   
his voice1 cartridges1 and strength1    
could only take refuge behind one narrow
 board1 into which he had luckily had a 
handle put only the day before1 and do  
his best to defend himself4  ,this board
 was not wide enough to cover him1 and  
he had to guard himself carefully1 as   
several lions were trying to get at him 
through the little space which was left 
at one side4 ,all he could do was to    
shift the board constantly1 but among so
 many it was small wonder that at last  
one of the lions got one huge paw in1   
and tore a large piece of the trainer's 
coat and flesh off his chest4 ,by great 
efforts1 however1 ,bonavita managed to  
get out alive4  ,in this terrific fight 
several of the lions were seriously     
injured1 for the fight lasted over an   

hour1 and it took nearly another hour to
 get all the animals back into their    
cages again4 ,one or two were badly     
bitten and torn1 and it was necessary   
that some sewing and patching should be 
done4 ,with great caution1 ropes were   
dropped round the neck and legs of each 
of the injured animals1 and in this way 
they were drawn close to the bars1 and  
the necessary stitches and repairs were 
accomplished with much difficulty4 ,this
 is one of the most dangerous things to 
do to a wild animal1 for1 in spite of   
being tied1 he is always on the lookout1
 and can give a bite which would stop   
the operator forever4 ,but in this case 
all was got through safely1 and the     
lions eventually recovered4  ,animals   
are always roped in this way when       
anything is wrong with their teeth1     
claws1 or limbs4 ,it is the only way in 
which they can be handled at all4 ,as   
for the notion that many people have    
that some of the animals are drugged1 ,i
 need scarcely say that it is absurd4   

,animals cannot be drugged in that way4 
,to drug wild animals might mean some   
very serious losses1 not to mention the 
fact that the ultimate effect of the    
drugs would greatly depreciate their    
commercial value4  ,and while speaking  
of this peculiar delusion of the public1
 ,i might1 perhaps1 also be allowed to  
mention the mistaken idea that so many  
have1 that cruelty is practised to a    
certain extent in an animal exhibition4 
,no greater mistake could possibly be   
made4 ,a man who purchases valuable     
race-horses does not ill-treat them or  
allow others to ill-treat them4 ,on the 
contrary1 apart from the humane point of
 view1 he takes care that all the men in
 his establishment are kind to the      
animals in every way1 attending to their
 wants and comforts1 and taking the     
greatest care of them4  ,it is much the 
same in an animal exhibition4 ,for      
instance1 the lion has a market value   
determined by his ability as a          
performer4 ,any healthy1 well-formed    

lion is worth from eight hundred to     
twelve hundred dollars1 but in the case 
of a lion performing in a group1 the    
loss of one means the practical         
disbandment of the group1 because they  
have been taught to act in concert1 and 
another will be necessary to take the   
place of the dead or disabled one4 ,add 
the lion's value to the cost of         
transportation and training1 not to     
mention the costly item of feeding for  
years1 and you will have a pretty large 
figure4 ,it must1 therefore1 be apparent
 to those who will take the trouble to  
give the matter a little consideration1 
that the very greatest care must be     
taken of the animals1 and that the      
slightest abuse of them cannot be       
allowed4  ,even were this not so1 ,i    
would not allow any one employed by me  
to stay another day if ,i once found    
that he was using any cruelty whatever  
to the animals in his charge4 ,kindness 
may not be appreciated by wild animals  
in one sense1 but it undoubtedly tends  

to promote their comfort and health4    
,illustration3 ,,mlle4 ,,aurora ,,and   
,,her ,,polar ,,bears  ,in feeding wild 
animals care is always taken to have the
 temperature of the food and water about
 the same as the temperature of the     
body4 ,should their meat or water be    
given to them too hot or too cold1 it   
affects their stomachs1 and they may be 
ill for weeks in consequence4  ,only the
 very best and freshest of meat is given
 them4 ,the least taint or disease would
 be sure to cause trouble in some form  
or other1 and in many cases serious     
sickness and death would follow4 ,it is 
true that lions in their wild state1    
when unable to procure fresh food1 will 
occasionally eat tainted food4 ,whether 
or not their free1 out-of-door life     
tends to counteract the ill effects of  
this1 is not definitely known4 ,all ,i  
personally know is1 that lions and      
tigers in captivity are unable to eat   
any tainted food without a sickness     
following1 which not only gives untold  

trouble and cost to the owners1 but is  
also a source of extreme unpleasantness 
to those around4 ,the only way to keep  
wild beasts wholesome and free from     
smell is to give them the best and      
freshest of food4  ,the best food for   
lions and tigers is good fresh beef or  
mutton1 and an occasional sheep's head1 
of which they are extremely fond4       
,curiously enough1 they are fond of any 
heads1--sheep's1 chickens'1 calves'1    
lambs'1 and others1--and will always eat
 them with the greatest relish4 ,about  
twelve to fifteen pounds of beef or     
mutton are given to each of my lions and
 tigers twice a day1 unless we deem it  
advisable to lessen it on any signs of  
sickness4 ,pork is never given under any
 circumstances1 or much fat1 although   
lions are rather fond of the fat of     
mutton4  ,with each piece of beef or    
mutton1 if we can manage it1 is given a 
piece of bone2 the reason for this is   
that gnawing the bone helps digestion   
and is good for the teeth4 ,on ,sundays 

no food1 but plenty of water1 is given  
to the carnivora4 ,this fast-day once a 
week is absolutely necessary2 it rests  
their digestion1 prevents them from     
growing too fat and lazy1 and is        
beneficial to their health in many ways4
 ,i have carefully watched1 and although
 at times some will get restless when   
feeding-time approaches on ,sunday1 they
 soon settle down again1 and on ,monday 
do not seem to be more hungry than on   
any other day in the week4  ,when it    
becomes apparent that a lion or tiger   
needs an aperient1 a piece of liver is  
given1 which has the desired effect4 ,in
 some cases the liver is given once a   
week1 particularly if the animal is a   
little off his feed4 ,in other cases1 a 
rabbit1 pigeon1 or chicken--always      
killed first--is given2 this last food  
being specially beneficial should the   
animal be troubled with worms--a not    
unfrequent cause of sickness4  ,in cases
 of special sickness1 of course1 other  
means have to be employed1 and special  

medicines given1 in order to restore the
 animal to health4 ,as all carnivora    
suffer1 to a large extent1 from the same
 complaints as human beings1 they can be
 treated in much the same way4  ,when   
the sickness cannot be cured by a change
 of diet1 a certain amount of medicine  
is mixed with the water or milk4 ,should
 the animal refuse to take it in this   
way1 a tempting piece of fresh meat is  
plugged with the medicine1 inserted in  
capsules1 and in this way the animal    
takes his dose without tasting it4  ,but
 it is only in extreme cases that ,i    
consider it a good thing to give        
medicine4 ,the best way is to let the   
animals fast for a time1 give them      
plenty of fresh water1 or a little milk1
 as much fresh air and exercise as      
possible1 and leave the rest to ,nature1
 which in nearly all cases effects a    
complete cure4  ,bears are occasionally 
given raw meat1 but it is not a good    
thing to give them too much4 ,they      
thrive best on cooked meats1 fish1 and  

bread--dry or soaked in milk4 ,a polar  
bear is extremely fond of fat pork1 and 
would go through a great deal to get    
even a small bit2 but one of the        
greatest delicacies you can give a polar
 bear is a dish of fish-oil4 ,his relish
 and keen appreciation are well worth   
seeing1 and no connoisseur could display
 greater enjoyment over a choice entre  
than a polar bear over a dish of        
fish-oil4  ,polar bears need special    
care in many ways4 ,the great change of 
climate is one of their worst trials1   
and there is no doubt that in the hot   
weather they suffer very much1 no matter
 what one does for their comfort4 ,even 
in cold1 frosty weather1 a polar bear1  
when being trained1 will get completely 
played out long before any ordinary bear
 would consider he had begun4 ,in a very
 short time he will begin to pant and   
show signs of distress4  ,in training   
her group of polar bears1 ,mlle4 ,aurora
 took great pains to give the animals as
 little exertion as possible1 and those 

who have seen this group perform will   
remember that the chief things they do  
are to take up positions on various     
stands and make pretty groupings4 ,in   
this way she has certainly succeeded in 
getting one of the finest groups of     
polar bears on exhibition1 while there  
is also the comforting feeling that the 
animals are not being made to do more   
than they are able4  ,one of the most   
interesting but1 at the same time1      
uncertain things in the care of wild    
animals is the rearing and feeding of   
cubs4 ,cubs vary in size1 health1       
strength1 disposition1 and temperament  
as much as children1 and the care and   
treatment of them have to be regulated  
accordingly4  ,the mothers differ       
likewise4 ,many lionesses and tigresses 
make extremely good mothers1 many do    
not4 ,some take the greatest care of    
their young1 others appear to be        
absolutely indifferent1 while a very few
 will even turn on their offspring and  
bite them viciously4 ,the last case more

 often comes from worry or excitement2  
the mother is a little run down at the  
time1 and unless absolute quiet is given
 her1 she is apt to vent it on the      
little ones4  ,it will be readily       
understood that in an exhibition which  
is open to the public all day long it is
 extremely difficult to give any animal 
absolute quiet2 but we always do our    
best1 and it is wonderful how           
tender-hearted the roughest of men      
become toward the animals at a time like
 this4 ,from the very commencement we   
try to make life as easy and comfortable
 as possible for the animal with young4 
,she is given an extra-roomy cage1      
placed where she will not be more       
disturbed than is necessary4 ,her health
 and diet are most carefully looked     
after1 and she is watched continually4  
,as soon as she appears uneasy1 the cage
 is covered up1 and she is left to      
herself until she has had plenty of time
 to settle down with her little ones4   
,the cage is not opened to the public1  

as a rule1 for two weeks1 and even then 
great care has to be taken4  ,should the
 cubs be fairly healthy1 the mother     
takes care of them1--if she is a good   
mother1--and they remain with her for   
about eight or ten weeks1 although the  
length of time depends entirely on the  
mother and the growth and well-being of 
the cubs4 ,weaning is begun gradually4  
,at first the cubs are taken away from  
the mother in the morning and given back
 to her at night1 and there are         
occasionally some very lively times     
during this episode1 as it is an        
extremely dangerous proceeding to take  
the cubs away from the lioness or       
tigress4 ,a small door is made in the   
cage1 and while the mother's attention  
is attracted in another direction1 the  
cubs are either coaxed out1 or pushed   
through the door with an iron rod1 and  
received in a basket or in the arms of  
one of the keepers4  ,when this takes   
place there is always a pathetic scene4 
,the mother gives a peculiar moaning    

cry1 low and short1 as though           
breathless1 while the cubs answer       
shrilly and make as much fuss and noise 
as they are able4 ,the mother holds her 
head in the air when the cubs have      
disappeared1 and listens eagerly for the
 direction from which the cries of her  
little ones come1 and after answering   
with another moan tries to get out in   
the direction of the cries4  ,in the    
meantime the cubs are given a bone with 
a little piece of raw meat on it1       
generally beef4 ,this takes up all their
 attention for the time being1 and they 
will wrestle and tussle over these bones
 as though they had never known any     
other food4 ,in this manner the day     
passes2 but as evening comes on1 the    
cubs become restless and cry pitifully1 
while the mother answers and listens    
attentively4 ,when they are returned to 
the cage there is even more danger1 for 
nothing will attract the mother's       
attention then4 ,she knows her cubs are 
being brought nearer to her1 and paces  

up and down1 jumping up toward the top  
of the cage1 and doing her best in every
 possible way to get out4               
,illustration3 ,,lion ,,monarchs ,,in   
,,infancy  ,as soon as the cubs are once
 inside again1 she lies down on the     
floor1 receiving them with great delight
 and giving little pleased cries of     
welcome1 licking the cubs carefully all 
over1 and playing with them2 while the  
cubs jump about1 roll over her1 and show
 their pleasure in various ways4 ,after 
this has happened a few times1 the cubs 
have learned to eat meat1 and sometimes1
 when the mother is fed1 they will1 by  
united efforts1 drag her portion of meat
 away and fight over it1 while she looks
 on1 growling a little1 but not         
interfering until they grow tired1 when 
she carries it off and eats it quietly  
at her leisure4  ,when the cubs are     
taken away from the mother entirely1    
they are fed on soft food1 milk1 and an 
occasional bone1 and soon begin to grow4
 ,one of the greatest dangers to which  

cubs are subject are convulsions1 which 
appear to be partly caused by teething4 
,in these cases certain specifics are   
given1 the cub is kept in the animal    
infirmary as quietly as possible1 and   
when it is better is returned to the    
other cubs4 ,i have noticed frequently1 
and ,i have no doubt others have noticed
 also1 that after convulsions cubs      
generally grow very fast1 and in some   
cases appear even better and stronger   
than the others4     ,,chapter ,,iv     
,,the ,,feeding ,,of ,,snakes ,,and     
,,elephants   ,all wild beasts in their 
natural state will hunt and kill their  
food when hungry1 and if too lazy to do 
this1--which is frequently the case with
 the lion1--they will keep a lookout for
 the remains of some other animal's     
8kill40 ,when wild1 animals always      
provide themselves with sufficient food1
 and appear to have many ways of working
 off a too heavy meal4  ,in captivity it
 is very different4 ,they appear to lose
 their judgment to a certain extent1 and

 in many cases will overfeed1 if given  
the opportunity1 or1 in some instances1 
deliberately starve themselves for no   
accountable reason4 ,this is specially  
the case with many snakes1--generally   
the larger ones1--and unless most       
carefully watched1 they will literally  
starve themselves to death4  ,snakes are
 difficult to feed2 they appear to      
dislike being seen eating1 and as they  
will not eat mammals or birds after     
rigor mortis has set in1 great care is  
needed in feeding them4 ,pythons will   
sometimes go as long as eight or nine   
months without feeding1 and when this is
 the case it is necessary to feed them  
by force4  ,very few snakes1 especially 
pythons1 will allow themselves to be    
handled4 ,at certain times1 it is true1 
they will appear either indifferent     
or--if such a cool condition can be     
called friendliness--friendly toward    
their keepers2 but this is1 in nearly   
all cases1 simply a sign that they are  
torpid from cold1 and it merely needs   

the house to be heated a little to show 
not only that they can be very lively1  
but very spiteful and vindictive4       
,occasionally1 when some little         
operation is necessary1 the snake has to
 be overpowered1 but it is possible to  
do this only by numbers4 ,no one man    
could do it2 he would be crushed before 
he had time to turn around4 ,the best   
way to set to work when the snake has   
deliberately refused to feed for many   
months is to wait until it is asleep4   
,then1 at a given signal1 several men   
pounce upon it--one grasps it by the    
back of its neck1 several others stand  
on or hold different parts of its body1 
and others stand ready with rabbits1    
rats1 and other small animals on the end
 of long poles1 with which they force   
the food down the reptile's throat4     
,illustration3 8,,brandu10 ,,the        
,,snake-,,charmer  ,it is needless to   
say that some terrific tussles take     
place on these occasions1 and often     
there is great danger4 ,unless the snake

 is quickly subdued1 it is likely to    
subdue those who are molesting it2 and  
even when several strong1 able-bodied   
men are grasping it firmly1 it will     
sometimes recoil with so much force and 
suddenness that the whole lot may be    
thrown to the ground4  ,the most        
dangerous part is when the moment comes 
for prying open its jaws4 ,if this has  
been done safely1 there comes the second
 difficulty of forcing food down its    
throat4 ,there is no doubt that this    
process is objectionable and1 in all    
probability1 a little painful to the    
snake1 and it is not to be wondered that
 at this moment it generally resists    
with all its power4 ,even should the    
rabbit be got down the throat of the    
reptile1 there is always the chance that
 it may be drawn out again with the     
pole4 ,but this operation is generally  
performed successfully1 and when the    
python has inside about a dozen rabbits1
 one or two guinea-pigs1 and a few      
pigeons1 he becomes heavy and sleepy1   

and at last settles down in a state of  
repletion from which he will probably   
not awaken for several days4  ,there    
have been many dangerous accidents from 
feeding snakes by force when they refuse
 food4 ,once a trainer entered and      
grasped a big python at the back of the 
neck1 while several other men made ready
 to catch hold of it in other places4   
,he caught it nicely in the right place1
 and was just speaking to the others    
when1 to his horror1 he found that the  
python had coiled itself firmly round   
his legs and body1 and that he was      
unable to move4  ,with a great effort he
 shouted1 and the men1 realizing        
instantly what had happened1 rushed     
forward and1 with united efforts1       
uncoiled the monster1 and so set him    
free4 ,it was a matter of life and      
death1 for in another moment the breath 
would have been crushed out of him1 and 
he would have become a shapeless mass of
 flesh4 ,it was only by his nerve and   
prompt call that he saved himself1 for  

the men said afterward that until he    
shouted they were not aware of what the 
snake had done4 ,after this nothing     
would ever induce that trainer to have  
anything to do with snakes again4 ,he   
said he could never forget the feeling  
of unspeakable horror and indefinable   
helplessness he experienced when the    
coils were encircling him4  ,at another 
time1 a young pig was thrown to a pair  
of snakes4 ,in this case the snakes were
 ravenously hungry1 and1 consequently1  
very lively4 ,the larger one of the two 
darted for it1 but the smaller snake was
 too quick for him1 and had swallowed   
the pig whole before the other could    
touch it4  ,now followed a very curious 
incident1 and one which1 ,i believe1 has
 not often been observed4 ,the large    
snake waited until another pig was      
thrown in1 and took care this time to   
get it1 but immediately after swallowing
 it deliberately turned to the small    
snake and swallowed him1 swollen as he  
was with the first pig4 ,this snake lay 

in a state of repletion after this for  
weeks1 and from various indications that
 we had ,i don't fancy that his         
cannibalism agreed with him4  ,but a    
more curious incident than either of    
these occurred at the ,pan-,american    
,exhibition with ,great ,peter1 the     
largest python ever kept in captivity4  
,great ,peter had been fasting for some 
time1--most of the summer1 in fact1--and
 we were beginning to feel anxious about
 him1 when1 toward the end of           
,september1 he suddenly became very     
lively--always a sure sign of hunger4   
,much delighted at these signs1 his     
keeper at once looked for suitable food 
for him1 and procured a young razor-back
 pig4 ,as a general rule1 all animals   
when put in with snakes are rendered    
helpless by fear4 ,they appear to be    
paralyzed by a strange fascination1 and 
instead of making the slightest         
resistance or attempt to get away1 stay 
on the very spot where they are thrown  
until the snake kills them with a bite  

or thrusts them into their living tomb  
by swallowing them4  ,illustration3 ,m4 
,,johnson ,,and ,,his ,,trained         
,,elephant  ,but this little razorback  
was made of different stuff1 and was    
neither fascinated nor helpless from    
fear4 ,the moment he entered the cage it
 was evident that he meant to have a    
good fight for it1 no matter what       
happened4 ,he gave the python no time to
 spring1 but1 taking time by the        
forelock1 ran up to the huge snake1     
screaming shrilly at the top of his     
voice1 and fastened his sturdy tusks    
firmly in the back of the snake's neck4 
,he squealed no more after this1 but    
attended strictly to business1 and hung 
on like grim death4 ,there was a        
momentary pause1 and then the daring    
little pig shook his enemy vigorously as
 he would a rat4 ,for a second or two   
over thirty-two feet of python coiled   
and lashed about the cage in a furious  
manner1 but the pig hung on4  ,his      
triumph was not long4 ,the contest was  

too unequal4 ,suddenly the thick coils  
left the air1 and1 descending on the    
plucky little animal1 coiled round and  
round1 crushing his body and cracking   
his ribs as though they were nutshells4 
,but still the pig hung on1--hung on    
until the coils of the snake gradually  
relaxed1--and then1 as they loosened    
weakly and fell off1 the pig1 game to   
the last1 dropped off the python's neck1
 dead4 ,his enemy lay quietly beside    
him--the conqueror and the conquered    
together4  ,had the razorback only      
allowed himself to give one little      
squeal when he was being crushed1 he    
would have been obliged to let go his   
hold and we might have saved the python1
 but his pluckiness cost us a valuable  
reptile4  ,elephants are big feeders1   
and few realize the quantity of food    
they need4 ,a fair-sized elephant in a  
healthy condition will consume on an    
average about two hundred pounds of hay1
 a bushel of oats1 and six or eight     
loaves of bread a day4 ,this is in      

addition to all the other things in the 
way of peanuts1 cakes1 crackers1 nuts1  
etc41 it gets from the visitors4        
,occasionally one or two large          
basketsful of fresh vegetables are given
 to each one1 for elephants are fond of 
any vegetables1 fruits1 or grain1 and   
nearly always seem to be hungry4  ,from 
this a rough estimate can be gathered of
 the vast quantity of food it is        
necessary to provide for a group of only
 half a dozen elephants4 ,the           
difficulties are often considerable1    
especially in small country places where
 the produce is not equal to the demand4
 ,it will often take one or two men all 
their time to procure enough food to    
keep the animals even in fair condition4
 ,grain can generally be had1 but too   
much grain is not good for them1 and the
 necessity for a variety1 which is not  
always obtainable1 causes much          
difficulty4  ,elephants are not         
particularly strong or robust           
constitutionally4 ,they suffer from     

various ailments in captivity1 even with
 the greatest care4 ,colds and chills   
are the most frequent1 and1 though not  
themselves dangerous1 they sometimes    
lead to pneumonia1 and when once an     
elephant has pneumonia he never         
recovers4  ,it is almost impossible to  
give an elephant medicine4 ,every way   
has been tried1 but in many cases to no 
purpose4 ,the moment he tastes it       
nothing will induce him to swallow it1  
and he promptly spits it out4 ,capsules 
have been tried1 in the hope that the   
animal would swallow them whole1 but he 
at once crushed them with his teeth1 and
 at the first taste the usual spitting  
out took place4 ,medicine has also been 
introduced into loaves of bread and     
drinks of water or milk1 but the        
elephant detected it at once1 and it    
was1 of course1 absolutely impossible to
 force it down his throat1 as can be    
done with some of the other animals4    
,about the only possible thing to make  
an elephant take when he has a bad cold 

is a good dose of hot whisky and onions1
 and he appears not only to like it but 
to wish for more4 ,however1 if elephants
 are looked after and cared for         
properly1 it is rarely necessary to give
 them medicine4 ,they are generally     
healthy1 and the chief thing to guard   
against is a chill or cold1 when there  
is always the possibility of pneumonia  
following4  ,an elephant sleeps in a    
peculiar manner4 ,nearly all lie on     
their left sides with their trunks      
curled up1 making a peculiar hissing    
noise at regular intervals1 something   
like the sound of steam issuing from a  
kettle4 ,he is not a sound sleeper4 ,he 
does not take much notice of his keeper 
prowling round in the night1 but should 
anything strange or unusual take place1 
the hissing stops suddenly1 two small1  
red lights appear in the elephant's     
head1 and the animal is wide awake and  
evidently watching4 ,at the first sign  
of danger he trumpets shrilly1 so that  
oftentimes he gives the first alarm1    

when no living thing besides suspects   
anything amiss4     ,,chapter ,v        
,,characteristics ,,of ,,different      
,,animals   ,it must not be supposed    
that all captive felines are amenable to
 education4 ,the personal equation      
enters in very largely4 ,what will do   
for the lion may do for the tiger1 the  
leopard1 the puma1 or the jaguar2 but   
what will do for one lion may not do for
 another1 nor can all tigers or leopards
 be trained alike4 ,many1 in assuming   
that the lion is brave and the tiger    
treacherous1 and in ascribing set       
qualities to the others1 are            
generalizing without basis4  ,the lion  
is feared for his clumsiness as much as 
anything1 because it makes him likely to
 do serious damage unwittingly2 the     
jaguar and leopard for their terrible   
swiftness in action2 and the tiger for a
 tenacity of purpose which1 when once   
aroused1 is almost unconquerable4 ,but  
it cannot be said in general that one is
 more to be feared than another4 ,it is 

the individual that must be reckoned    
with by the successful trainer4  ,one   
animal may be of a heavy1 phlegmatic    
disposition2 another may be slow and    
stupid2 a third subject to fits of      
unreasonable and ungovernable rage2     
another curious and inquisitive1 making 
him incessantly restless2 another       
nervous and timid2 and yet another will 
show a fussy and irritable disposition1 
and refuse to perform unless all the    
circumstances are just as he considers  
they should be4  ,with rare exceptions1 
all the felines are untrustworthy and   
more or less treacherous1 and no matter 
how long they may have been trained1 or 
how well their trainer may know them1   
they are liable at any moment1 and      
without the least reason1 to turn on    
him4 ,each one has his characteristics1 
and it is these special characteristics 
which require such extremely careful    
study and continual watching4  ,weather 
affects wild animals in just the same   
way in which it affects human beings4   

,this appears to be the case specially  
with lions4 ,damp1 muggy weather will   
make them seemingly depressed and       
irritable1 and in this state they are   
doubly unwilling to do anything they do 
not feel inclined to4 ,in hot weather   
they become lazy and sleepy1 and it is  
sometimes with the greatest difficulty  
that any of the lions can be made to    
perform4 ,this laziness is natural4 ,in 
his native state the lion sleeps all    
day1 and will only go out for food at   
night when urged by hunger4  ,in cold   
weather1 ,captain ,bonavita finds his   
lions so frisky and playful that it is  
extremely dangerous to make them        
perform1 for a playful lion is a        
terrible thing--with even a tap from one
 of his paws he can break the neck of a 
horse4  ,one cold1 frosty day1 when     
,captain ,bonavita was trying to get his
 lions to perform1 one1 a huge beast1   
was particularly playful1 and1 in spite 
of all his care1 at last got one claw in
 the cloth of his coat4 ,in a moment the

 animal dragged him to the ground1 and1 
not being able to get his claw free1--as
 it had caught in the cloth1--became    
wildly enraged4 ,had it not been that   
one of the men outside the cage gave the
 trainer an opportunity to cut the      
cloth1 he would have lost his life in a 
few minutes4  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,old
 ,,arm-,,chair  ,apart from all these   
physical variations1 the peculiarities  
of temperament also must be studied and 
watched4 ,each animal is so different   
from its fellows and so subject to      
sudden changes of temper1 that this     
requires the most careful observation2  
nor can any reason often be found for   
their different actions4  ,there is a   
very famous lion now performing who     
fears but one thing3 a stick in the left
 hand4 ,the trainer may have a club1 a  
whip1 a knife1 a pistol1 or even a      
firebrand in his right hand1 and the    
lion will spring for him fearlessly1 but
 the smallest thing in the left hand    
will keep the animal perfectly          

tractable4 ,no satisfactory explanation 
of this individual peculiarity has ever 
been offered1 and one trainer limps for 
life simply because he did not make the 
discovery in time4  ,lions have no      
affection2 they become used to and      
tolerant of their trainers1 and their   
obedience and docility is partly1 if not
 wholly1 due to ignorance and to the    
dread of anything they do not           
comprehend4 ,they seemingly do not      
understand why the trainers are not     
afraid of them1 and do not appear to    
realize that one little blow could put  
them out of existence4 ,it is only when 
they lose respect for their             
trainer--either because he has          
contracted bad habits1 or because he has
 been foolish or unguarded enough at    
some time to let them see that he was   
nervous--that they realize that he is   
only a small thing compared to          
themselves1 and turn on him4  ,the great
 majority of cases of defense of a      
trainer by an animal have little        

foundation1 other than the minds of the 
ingenious press agent4 ,but there have  
been rare cases where animals have      
conceived a real affection for a        
trainer1 and fawned upon him like a dog1
 and even protected him from others when
 they attacked him4  ,one such case     
concerned ,mme4 ,pianka4 ,during a      
rehearsal at ,st4 ,louis several years  
ago1 she was suddenly attacked by a     
young lion and thrown to the floor4     
,instantly1 a smaller lioness1 of whom  
she was particularly fond and who had   
appeared to return the affection1 leaped
 upon the lion and gave him so much to  
attend to that the trainer got to her   
feet1 and was then able to whip the     
offending lion back to his corner4 ,no  
trainer1 however1 depends on such       
interference2 in fact1 he knows and     
takes it for granted that if he is      
attacked and thrown1 the other beasts in
 the cage will join in only too quickly4
  ,the fellowship of animal for animal  
in the bonds of slavery is stronger than

 that of animal for man4 ,once in the   
cage1 the trainer is alone among vastly 
superior forces that at any moment may  
become hostile1 and his wisest plan is  
always to mistrust and look out1 and not
 to expect anything but united hostility
 should he slip or be attacked4  ,an    
animal seldom1 if ever1 attacks a       
trainer for blood or a desire for meat4 
,the danger lies in the instinct of     
ferocity2 and many experiments made in  
this direction undoubtedly prove that   
animals attack from inherent fierceness 
and savagery alone4 ,a tiger will       
occasionally show a desire for blood1   
but other animals very seldom4  ,i made 
an experiment some years ago in order to
 see whether civilized food would make  
any difference in the nature of a wild  
animal4 ,i had a fine1 well-grown young 
lion1 which ,i reared for two years on  
cooked food--boiled meat and vegetables4
 ,he had never tasted blood or raw meat1
 and yet when he was a little over two  
and a half years old he broke out and   

killed a fine young buck which was loose
 in the runway behind the cage2 and when
 in the arena afterward1 proved to be no
 different in any way from the other    
animals who had been brought up on raw  
steaks and other fresh meat4  ,it is    
doubtful whether lions1 tigers1 and     
their kin have minds developed in a wild
 state to anything like the degree      
attained by those of the smaller        
fur-bearing animals1 such as ermine1    
fox1 wolverene1 or a number of the      
smaller rodents4 ,they are endowed with 
so much agility1 strength1 and endurance
 that they need hardly exercise much    
thought in securing their livelihood2   
while the caution and ingenuity required
 of the weaker species1 in order not    
only to get food1 but also to escape    
from their enemies1 tend to sharpen     
their faculties daily4  ,illustration3  
,,madame ,,pianka  ,the only enemy      
feared by the larger wild beasts is man4
 ,why they should feel this supreme awe 
of man it is difficult to explain4      

,neither his size nor his erect position
 can account for it1 and it is only in  
long settled and much frequented regions
 that his firearms are dreaded4 ,the    
explanation probably is that they are   
unable to comprehend his habits1 to     
fathom his mental attitude1 to learn    
what he is likely to do next1 and are   
awed by the mystery of his conduct1 as  
we might be by that of some supernatural
 being of unknown power who came among  
us and threatened our liberty and our   
happiness4  ,the minds of the great     
carnivora are little exercised in       
nature1 and do not develop4 ,accustomed 
to seeing all the denizens of the forest
 quail before them1 they do not know    
what it is to feel a sense of help      
needed or of favors granted4 ,it is     
perfectly natural1 then1 that trainers  
should say that kindness is not         
appreciated by them4 ,a tigress is1 in  
most cases1 as likely to eat up her     
keeper after six years of attention as  
she would be after six days1 should she 

consider that she were safe in doing so4
  ,a quiet tiger is always to be feared 
and watched carefully4 ,mr4 ,charles    
,miller1 who has been so successful in  
training the fiercest ,bengal tigers1   
has no fear of the noisy ones1 who are  
forever growling1 snarling1 and spitting
 defiance2 but of the others1 who are   
stealthily quiet and show in no way by  
voice or gesture that they object to    
what he has to do1 he takes the greatest
 care and caution4 ,whenever he is      
obliged to turn his back on one of these
 tigers1 he takes care to turn it on the
 snarling ones1 who do nothing but make 
a noise4 ,the quiet ones are only       
waiting for the very first opportunity  
to spring1 and one spring from a tiger  
is fatal4 ,in one performance1 ,mr4     
,miller turned his head quickly to find 
a treacherous animal crawling stealthily
 on his stomach toward him4 ,the instant
 the tiger saw he was noticed he        
stopped1 and began to lick his paws in  
the most indifferent manner1 but the    

next moment he was trying to do the same
 thing again1 until brought smartly up  
by a flick of the whip4 ,this he also   
took quietly1 although with a curious   
hiss4 ,he was simply biding his time4   
,it is an acknowledged fact1 among those
 who know anything about wild animals1  
that continual quietness invariably goes
 with a mean or savage nature1 and that 
the animal who does not snarl should be 
carefully watched at all times by those 
who have anything to do with him4 ,why  
this should be an indication it is      
impossible1 at least for me1 to say4 ,i 
have studied the matter very carefully1 
and many of the cleverest trainers and  
owners of wild animals have done the    
same4  ,as a rule1 lions are much slower
 than lionesses4 ,they are far more     
deliberate in their movements1 and1     
consequently1 seem more haughty and     
majestic4 ,a lioness will frisk and romp
 about even when she has had several    
families1 but a full-grown lion will    
seldom1 if ever1 depart in the slightest

 from his habitual grave1 solemn manner4
 ,generally speaking1 the female felines
 are more easily managed and not as     
dangerous as the males1 but they are    
always crafty and treacherous1 and the  
time when they appear to be indifferent 
or off their guard is the time to be    
more than usually cautious4  ,there are1
 of course1 cases where the females act 
swiftly and suddenly without treacherous
 motives1 and this makes them even more 
dangerous1 because one never can tell   
when this may happen4 ,at ,philadelphia1
 some years ago1 we had an illustration 
of this1 and of what a terrible and     
lightning-like blow a jaguar can give4  
,this jaguar1 a magnificent female1 had 
been rehearsing some fancy leap from    
shelf to shelf1 and as a finale was to  
jump from a projection from the side of 
the cage1 about seven feet high1 to a   
wooden ball some ten feet distant1 and  
maintain herself upon the ball until a  
given signal from the trainer--a most   
difficult feat4 ,the graceful creature  

measured the distance carefully for a   
few moments1 keeping her eyes fixed on  
the ball1 and stretched her slender neck
 forward toward the goal before essaying
 the leap4  ,then she launched herself4 
,that leap was a study in beauty of form
 and grace of motion1 but there was a   
slight miscalculation4 ,the jaguar      
landed on the ball1 but after clinging  
desperately for a moment to the         
oscillating sphere1 fell to the ground1 
landing in a crouching attitude4        
,swifter than the eye could follow1     
there was a motion of the paw1 and the  
wooden ball1 weighing nearly a hundred  
pounds1 sailed across the stage and hit 
the bars with an impact that shook the  
entire structure as an earthquake would 
have done1 frightening the pair of lions
 and the leopard who shared the cage    
almost to a frenzy4  ,as for the jaguar1
 she glared fiercely round with a hiss  
and snarl1 as though to see whether any 
of the others were laughing at her1 and 
then slunk away to one side1 where she  

examined her paw with an appearance of  
solicitude1 listening meanwhile to the  
rebukes of the trainer with obvious     
confusion4 ,it is the possibility that  
at any moment a blow of that caliber may
 land on him1 which effectually prevents
 the trainer from experiencing any      
feelings of ennui when in the cage with 
wild animals4  ,elephants have their    
little peculiarities1 like all other    
animals1 and one of them is their       
strange and often unaccountable         
antipathy to some persons1 and their    
warm affection for others4 ,one of my   
elephants is of a most gentle           
disposition1 but hates the sight of a   
dog4 ,a tiny toy terrier is enough to   
drive him nearly frantic1 and unless the
 animal is removed at once he would kill
 him instantly1 for an elephant makes up
 his mind quickly4  ,the majority of    
wild animals appear to be fond of music1
 although a great many dislike it       
extremely4 ,as a rule1 the large        
carnivora seem to like it1 and the      

trained animals will often rouse        
themselves at the sound and look round  
inquiringly4 ,there is no doubt whatever
 that it is a stimulus to them4 ,in many
 cases it is their principal cue1 and   
without it they are uncertain1 restless1
 and unhappy4  ,some time ago the band  
of a traveling show went on strike in   
the middle of a performance1 and left in
 a body4 ,three trained tigers were the 
next feature on the program4 ,when they 
came on they looked inquiringly at the  
orchestra for the music1 and then two of
 them quietly settled down on their     
haunches and refused to go on4 ,the     
third1 who was of less experience1 made 
a feeble start and then joined his      
companions on strike4 ,orders1 commands1
 threats1 and flickings of the whip were
 useless4 ,no music1 no performance1 was
 obviously the motto of these tigers2   
and they stuck to it until finally the  
trainer1 finding that to try to force   
them further was dangerous1 was obliged 
to let them return to their cage without

 giving any performance at all4  ,the   
trainer feared that he would never get  
them to perform again1 for once let an  
animal off his performance and it       
generally means that he expects and     
insists on not giving any more          
exhibitions at all4 ,however1 the next  
day1 when the differences with the      
musicians had been settled1 and the     
tigers were brought out again1 they     
seemed perfectly satisfied as soon as   
they heard the music1 and acquitted     
themselves better than ever4  ,one      
incident which has always puzzled my    
trainers and myself occurred with a     
fine1 full-grown ,barbary lion4 ,when   
the band has been playing a certain set 
of tunes for some time1 it will         
naturally change them for newer and more
 popular ones4 ,i have never noticed    
that the animals were aware of it1 but  
in this case there was one tune which   
this particular lion did not like4 ,the 
moment it was started he grew restless  
and uneasy1 moaned and whimpered1 and   

finally roared to such a degree that we 
could not imagine what was the matter   
with him4  ,this went on day after day  
and night after night1 until at last we 
noticed that he always did it about the 
same time1 and finally1 when the tunes  
were changed about a little1 that he    
always did it when a particular tune was
 being played4 ,we tried him the next   
morning1 at quite a different hour1 with
 the same tune1 and it had the same     
effect4 ,the moment it was started he   
would get up1 moan1 whimper1 snarl1 and 
grow more and more uneasy1 until he     
worked himself up into a rage and roared
 at the top of his voice1 which was     
strong even for a lion4  ,the music     
appeared to irritate his nerves4        
,whether this was so or not ,i cannot   
tell1 but it evidently annoyed him to a 
painful degree4 ,after making sure of   
this fact1 ,i ordered that tune to be   
left out for the future1 and from that  
time to this he has never shown dislike 
to any other music1 and is quiet and    

peaceable1 and a good performer4        
,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,charles ,,miller 
,,and ,,his ,,bengal ,,tigers           
,,chapter ,,vi  8,,going                
,,bad0--,,animal ,,instinct   ,what     
those who have charge of wild animals in
 captivity1 and especially trainers1    
dread most among the large carnivora1 is
 that inexplicable change of temperament
 on the part of the animal known in the 
parlance of the menagerie as 8going     
bad40 ,lions are likely to go bad about 
the tenth year of life2 tigers two or   
three years earlier4 ,the male tiger is 
the dread of the profession when he     
reaches this condition1 because he is   
more likely to go into a frenzy without 
warning1 and1 once gone bad1 nothing    
will satisfy him but murder4 ,he will   
leap for any man within reach1 and when 
once his teeth are on the bone1 nothing 
but fire will make him relinquish it1   
and not always that4  ,this 8going bad0 
may come in the nature of a sudden      
attack1 or it may develop slowly and be 

counteracted if taken in time4 ,an old  
trainer can usually detect the symptoms 
of this curious ailment4 ,it seems to be
 in the nature of a disease1 and other  
animals recognize it and shun the       
affected one4 ,when its progress is     
apparent the danger is not great2 all   
that is required then is a level head1  
and the wisdom to refrain from further  
interference with the animal4  ,a good  
trainer never dreams of interfering with
 an animal in this condition4 ,if       
attacked1 his one aim is to defend      
himself1 until he has a chance to escape
 from the cage1 and to separate the     
animal from his fellows as soon as      
possible4 ,sometimes this bad temper    
will last but a short time1 and again it
 will become the permanent condition of 
the animal4 ,in that case he is sent to 
the lonely cage to spend the rest of his
 life in comparative obscurity1         
disturbed merely by the passing crowd   
and his daily meals4  ,let an animal    
once acquire a love for blood and he is 

spoiled for the rest of his life4 ,if   
the killing instinct once develops it   
can rarely be eradicated4 ,rajah1 a     
tiger which has already killed two men1 
and severely injured me on more than one
 occasion1 8went bad0 suddenly1 and his 
taste for blood having once been        
aroused1 it would have been worse than  
useless to attempt to do anything with  
him again1 and he is now kept carefully 
by himself4 ,formerly1 he was one of the
 best trick tigers before the public1   
but some unknown thing ruffled his      
nature1 he gained a realization of his  
own brute strength and a taste for      
blood1 and his career as a performer was
 over4  ,as a rule1 a trainer can also  
tell when the critical moment has come  
in this peculiar phase of 8going bad40  
,the man who puts his head in a lion's  
mouth1 sooner or later1 arrives at the  
point where he feels that to continue   
would endanger his life4 ,a trainer once
 had an experience of that kind in      
,england4  ,he had safely accomplished  

the hazardous feat for several months   
without any particular feeling of       
trepidation4 ,one night he placed his   
head in the lion's mouth as usual1 and  
was about to draw it out again when he  
suddenly had a shuddering1 indefinable  
realization that the lion's good temper 
was gone4 ,he knew the danger1 and      
prepared for it by bracing all his      
strength against that of the lion's     
jaws4  ,he removed his head slowly1 as  
usual1 for the least hurry might have   
provoked an attack1 but in a second the 
lion snapped at him while his face was  
yet within danger4 ,the tip of his chin 
was caught and lacerated4 ,that was the 
conclusion of the act with that lion1   
and he was relegated to solitude like   
others troubled with the same complaint4
  ,elephants also 8go bad10 and there is
 even more danger with these huge beasts
 than with lions and tigers2 for they   
may break out and kill and injure a     
great number of people1 besides causing 
an immense amount of damage by tearing  

up and destroying property4  ,most      
people have heard how many valuable     
elephants have had to be killed owing to
 their becoming 8rogues40 ,a rogue      
elephant is a terrible creature in more 
ways than one1 for his huge bulk and    
enormous strength make him not only a   
formidable enemy1 but his cunning and   
viciousness can be appreciated only by  
those who have come in constant contact 
with him4  ,there appears to be no      
special age for an elephant going bad1  
but the majority of these animals become
 dangerous after a certain time in      
captivity4 ,the most tractable and      
gentle elephant ,i ever had suddenly    
8went bad0 for no conceivable reason1   
and although after much coaxing and     
soothing he appeared to settle down     
quietly1 there were certain indications 
soon after that he intended mischief4   
,finally1 his small eyes became so red  
and threatening that ,i considered it   
wiser to have him killed1 rather than   
run any risk of his sacrificing human   

lives4  ,with regard to the instincts of
 animals1 ,i have had some very curious 
experiences4 ,just before a disastrous  
fire at ,baltimore1 when nearly all the 
poor animals were terribly burned1 many 
in the exhibition noticed how restless  
and uneasy the animals were1 but as     
there appeared to be no reason for it1  
we thought nothing more about it4  ,when
 the time for the performance came1 not 
one of the animals would move out of its
 cage4 ,it is not unusual for wild      
animals to get restless fits sometimes1 
but it is extremely unusual for them    
all1 at one and the same time1          
absolutely to refuse to come out of     
their cages at the command of the       
trainers4 ,the majority of wild-animal  
trainers are superstitious1 and many of 
them began to wonder what it meant and  
whether it was a bad omen1 for not one  
in the whole building had the slightest 
idea that the fire was even then gaining
 ground4  ,there was not the faintest   
smell of smoke or any other indication  

to give warning that one of the greatest
 calamities ,i ever had was just coming 
upon me4 ,not more than a quarter of an 
hour before the men had been round1     
according to the usual custom1 to see   
that everything was safe and in good    
order1 but nothing was noticed out of   
the way1 and until the flames suddenly  
burst forth no one had any idea that    
there was the least danger or trouble at
 hand4  ,another curious instance of    
animal instinct occurred in the winter  
of #aijb-jc at ,ocala1 ,florida4 ,mme4  
,pianka had taken her lions there to    
perform1 and as soon as they arrived    
every one noticed that the animals1     
especially the lions1 were restless and 
uneasy at night1 and that they behaved  
very strangely4  ,it is customary1 soon 
after arriving at a place1 to turn the  
animals out into the steel arena for    
exercise1 as1 of course1 it is quite    
impossible to give them any exercise at 
all while on a long journey4 ,the moment
 the lions entered the arena1 instead of

 stretching themselves luxuriously and  
pacing up and down in their usual       
manner1 they stopped short1 with ears   
back and noses to the ground1 and       
commenced to sniff in the most peculiar 
manner4  ,it was impossible to rouse    
them up or make them move about4 ,each  
one would walk a few paces1 but always  
with his head bent down and sniffing the
 ground4 ,when the time for the         
performance came on1 their behavior was 
still more curious4 ,these lions were   
,mme4 ,pianka's favorites1 and as she   
had always been very fond of them1 and  
had had them in training for several    
years1 she had been accustomed to caress
 them4 ,although the majority of them   
took this in the grave1 dignified manner
 peculiar to lions1 one or two had      
appeared actually to like her           
endearments1 and had occasionally rubbed
 their huge heads against her face4     
,but at this time they would not let her
 touch them4 ,each one let her know that
 she must keep her distance1 or it would

 be a serious matter4 ,neither would    
they perform at the accustomed words of 
command4 ,indeed1 their manner grew so  
forbidding and dangerous that at last   
she dared not even go near them4  ,that 
same night ,mme4 ,pianka was awakened by
 the watchman calling to say that the   
lions were digging large holes in the   
ground1 and that he thought1 at the rate
 they were working1 they would very soon
 dig themselves out altogether4 ,all the
 assistants were called up1 the electric
 lights were turned on1 and it was found
 that the lions had already dug holes   
deep enough in the earth to bury        
themselves4  ,the danger was doubly     
great because so unexpected4 ,hyenas and
 wolves will dig holes in the ground in 
this manner1 but for lions to do so is  
almost unheard of4 ,the lions were with 
great difficulty taken out of the cage1 
with evident reluctance on their part1  
and put once more into their traveling  
compartments4 ,the ground was securely  
battened down and covered thickly with  

fine sand1 disinfectant1 and sawdust4   
,illustration3 ,,queer                  
,,friends--,,camel1 ,,lionesses1 ,,and  
,,dromedary  ,the following night the   
lions were turned into the arena again1 
but in a very short time they had       
scratched away the sand and sawdust and 
dug up the earth1 and it was only just  
in time that the lions were once more   
removed to their traveling-cages in     
exceedingly ugly and dangerous moods4   
,many solutions were offered by various 
people1--especially by those who knew   
nothing whatever about animals1--but no 
satisfactory one could be found4 ,we    
thought of the change of climate1 of    
air1 scene1 and food4 ,the lions had    
grown accustomed to changes of air and  
climate1 and the food was the same kind 
that they had been accustomed to in     
captivity4 ,we next thought of the      
water2 but it was pure and good1 and    
there seemed to be no accounting for    
this strange freak on the part of the   
animals4 ,had one or two shown this     

peculiar propensity1 we should naturally
 have concluded that they had 8gone     
bad10 but as all were doing the same    
thing1 and two were quite young lions1  
this could not be the case4  ,at last   
this was mentioned to the chief of      
police and one or two old residents1 and
 we then discovered that the tent had   
been pitched directly over an old       
graveyard in ,ocala1 and although most  
of the bodies had been removed1 there   
was1 of course1 every probability that  
some of the remains were still under the
 ground4  ,this1 of course1 solved the  
mystery1 to our great relief2 for1      
having found out the cause1 we very soon
 applied a remedy1 and it was not long  
before we had the tent and the animals  
removed some distance off4 ,as soon as  
the animals were removed1 their savage  
sulkiness vanished1 and they at once    
settled down into their old routine1 and
 were as obedient and good-natured as   
they had ever been4     ,,chapter ,,vii 
,,how ,,wild ,,animals ,,are ,,captured 

,few who see wild animals in cages      
realize the vast amount of trouble1     
danger1 and expense necessary to get    
them there4 ,the greatest danger lies in
 capturing the animals in their native  
countries4  ,it is an easy task to hunt 
wild animals for sport1 compared to the 
difficulties connected with their       
capture1 not only alive1 but uninjured4 
,an injured animal is rarely any use4   
,the injuries1 added to the frenzy of a 
wild animal when first caught1 leave    
very little chance of his surviving the 
ordeal1 even for a few days2 and should 
he do so1 the chances are that he will  
remain in such a miserable state for so 
long that he will not repay the cost of 
capture1 feeding1 and transportation4   
,as a rule1 although rare specimens have
 been made exceptions1 an injured animal
 is either killed at once1 or1 if there 
should appear to be no immediate danger 
to the lives of his captors1 is allowed 
to escape4  ,the chief danger lies1 not 
so much when face to face with the      

animals1 but when hunting and tracking  
them4 ,the wariest and most careful     
hunter may be tracking an animal1 and at
 the same time be tracked by the very   
animal he is seeking1 who may spring on 
him at any moment4  ,there is no more   
ticklish or dangerous task than tracking
 lions in the vast ,nubian deserts4 ,the
 scorching sun pours down with such     
force that few men can stand it4 ,the   
effect on the eyes is blinding4 ,there  
is little or no shade1 with the         
exception of occasional small palm-trees
 and bushes1 while the jutting rocks    
afford splendid hiding-places for the   
king of beasts4  ,it may happen that    
when a lion-hunt has been formed an     
elephant or a rhinoceros appears1 and   
either of these animals in their wild   
state presents a difficult problem4 ,a  
rogue elephant will put a whole crowd of
 lion-hunters to rout1 and clear that   
part of the country of men for some     
little time to come4 ,a rhinoceros is   
also a formidable foe4 ,although        

comparatively slow-moving1 it can1 when 
excited1 move quite quickly enough1 and 
its horns can be used with terrible     
effect4  ,illustration3 ,,wild ,,ass1   
,,quagga1 ,,and ,,zebras  ,in capturing 
animals alive1 it is generally          
considered better to get young ones4 ,a 
number of natives form parties and then 
go in different directions1 until they  
come upon the spoor of either a lioness 
or young lions4 ,they then signal to one
 another by peculiar calls1 and1 meeting
 together1 follow up the trail until    
they find the lair4  ,should they find  
that the lair contains a lioness and    
cubs1 they do all they can to induce the
 lioness to come out1 and if unable to  
capture her alive1 shoot her and then   
capture the cubs4 ,this sounds very     
simple1 but a lioness with cubs is one  
of the most savage of animals1 and she  
will fight to the last4 ,having killed  
the lioness1 there is still danger with 
the cubs2 for lion cubs are fierce1     
strong1 and vicious creatures1 and can  

tear and bite with their claws and teeth
 in a terrible manner4  ,one plan is to 
throw nets or a piece of strong         
sackcloth over the young ones1 in which 
they become entangled4 ,the men then run
 forward1 pick them up1 and carry them  
off1 and they are extremely lucky if    
they escape with a few scratches only1  
for the cubs1 though tangled in the net1
 are able to make an exceedingly lively 
fight4 ,sometimes the lioness is not    
wounded fatally1 and she is then far    
more dangerous than before4 ,it is quite
 impossible to take the cubs in that    
case1 for she would follow for miles1   
and in addition to making the cubs more 
savage1 her cries of pain and distress  
would be more than likely to bring out  
her mate from some neighboring          
hiding-place1 and then nothing could be 
done but to drop the cubs and withstand 
the lions' attack4  ,when the cubs are  
captured1 goats are obtained in full    
milk1 and the cubs are fed by them until
 they are past the first teething-stage 

and able to eat meat4 ,in some cases    
spaniels are provided as foster-mothers1
 and although at first the dogs are     
uneasy at their somewhat rough and      
savage foster-children1 they generally  
grow fond of them1 and the affection is 
more often than not returned by the     
cubs4  ,for catching full-grown lions   
large traps of various forms are used4  
,one trap is square1 one of the sides   
lifting up on a spring1 like the        
old-fashioned mouse-trap4 ,this trap is 
baited with a piece of fresh meat1 and  
as soon as the lion has entered the trap
 the door shuts down and he is a        
prisoner4 ,but lions are shrewd and     
cunning1 like all the cat tribe1 and    
many a man has lost his life by going to
 look at a baited trap4  ,many cases    
have been known where a lion1 becoming  
suspicious1 resisted the temptation of  
the fresh meat1 and lay down in hiding  
and kept watch4 ,when the rash hunter   
came to see whether the bait had been   
touched1 the lion sprang on him1        

preferring fresh man-meat to the bait   
inside the trap4 ,in one case the lid   
went down1 but1 in some way or other1   
one of the paws of the lion was caught  
in it1 and when the men came to look at 
him1 by a wonderful feat of strength he 
raised the lid and sprang out1 killing  
two of them4  ,animals are also captured
 by driving them with torches or fire   
into inclosures made with bamboo rods   
and nets4 ,when in these inclosures the 
animals are fairly secure1 as any       
attempt to climb over the bamboo rods   
only sends them back into the nets1 the 
bamboo not being sufficiently strong to 
bear their weight4 ,the animals are     
generally kept a little while without   
food until they become somewhat subdued1
 and are then taken to their places of  
transportation4  ,in ,india the natives 
catch tigers by a peculiar method4 ,the 
leaves of the sycamore and the large    
plantain are smeared with a sticky      
substance and left in the trail of the  
tiger4 ,the moment the animal puts his  

foot on one of these leaves he          
immediately rubs it over his head1 in   
order to get rid of it4 ,this naturally 
makes his head sticky and uncomfortable1
 which causes him to roll on the ground4
 ,by doing this he becomes covered with 
the leaves1 and when he is mad with rage
 the natives come cautiously up and     
cover him with strong nets and sacking4 
,in other parts of ,asia the animals are
 caught in various ways1--some in       
pitfalls and traps1 and some by meat    
baited in such a cunning manner that a  
native is able either to wound or to    
capture the animal while he is eating   
it4 ,in running through the forests1 the
 animals pass over these traps1 which   
are carefully concealed by branches and 
limbs of trees1 fall in1 and are        
prisoners4 ,in many cases the animals   
are so terrified that they die of       
fright2 in others1 they absolutely      
refuse to eat1 and die soon after       
capture4 ,sometimes the captured animals
 die just when the cost of              

transportation has been paid1 and it is 
then discovered that they had been      
injured internally in falling4 ,in most 
cases1 however1 they are kept without   
food for a short time1 and when they    
have quieted down a little some meat is 
thrown in to them1 and they soon become 
accustomed to their surroundings4       
,elephants are generally caught in      
nooses1 or by being driven into a       
keddah4 ,a number of men surround the   
elephant1 and forming a circle of fire1 
which they make smaller and smaller1    
compel him to go into the keddah4 ,he is
 then roped to some strong logs and     
allowed to remain in that state until   
quiet1 when a tame elephant leads him   
about until he becomes tractable4 ,some 
elephants can never be tamed1 and in    
this case it is generally considered    
wiser either to kill the animal or to   
let him have his freedom again4  ,in    
catching snakes various devices are     
used1 but all methods are attended with 
a certain amount of danger4 ,one way is 

to set the grass on fire in a circle    
where it is known that snakes have their
 hiding-places4 ,this will always bring 
them out1 and they naturally rush from  
the fire4 ,as they rush out1 they are   
caught in large nets mounted on wooden  
hoops to which is attached a large bag4 
,as the reptiles are generally stupefied
 with the smoke1 it is not a difficult  
thing to those accustomed to the task to
 drop them into the bag4 ,they are then 
carried to the packing-station1 where   
they are packed in boxes and sent direct
 to ,europe4  ,while on the journey1    
neither food nor water is given them2   
the chief things are warmth and freedom 
from damp4 ,cold is dangerous to all    
snakes2 it not only makes them dull and 
torpid1 but causes them to have mouth   
disease1 from which they never recover2 
and as some of them are extremely       
valuable1 this point is very important4 
,many instances have been known where a 
whole collection of valuable snakes have
 been found dead on arrival4            

,,chapter ,,viii  ,,the ,,wild          
,,animals' ,,kindergarten   ,an animal  
learns by association4 ,though it is a  
common belief1 fear is not the reason   
for his obedience to the trainer's      
commands4 ,habit and ignorance are what 
cause the animal to become an apt pupil 
in the hands of the trainer4 ,the animal
 becomes accustomed to the same way of  
doing the same things at much the same  
time1 and ignorance of his own power    
keeps him in this state of subjection4  
,illustration3 ,,teaching ,a ,,lion ,,to
 ,,ride ,a ,,tricycle  ,this habit is   
developed in the animal by a laborious  
and patient process1 and it requires an 
intimate knowledge of animal nature to  
perfect it4 ,the easiest animal to train
 is one that is born in his native      
haunts and new to captivity4 ,the reason
 is obvious4 ,the one bred in captivity 
has nothing to fear from man1 and knows 
his own strength and the fear he        
inspires4 ,accustomed from earliest     
infancy to the greatest care and        

coddling1 he arrives one day at the     
stage of growth where he realizes the   
value of his own claws1 for the use of  
them has shown him that human beings do 
not like to be scratched4 ,some         
attendant1 who has1 perhaps1 been       
playing with him day by day1 admiring   
his pretty1 innocent-looking little     
face1 soft furry body1 and velvety paws 
while he is still a mere cub1 drops him 
suddenly one day when he feels the deep 
prick of the claws hidden in those paws4
 ,the next time some one comes along1   
the cub may not be in the mood for      
handling2 he remembers his past         
experience1 that scratching means 8let  
go10 and he puts this into practice4    
,his liberty is promptly secured1 and he
 lies in peace in his cage4  ,the next  
man who comes may get a deeper scratch1 
and he lets the cub alone even more     
severely1 a fact that the cub notes and 
remembers the next time1 for he is      
gradually acquiring a deeper disrespect 
for man and his puerile ways2 he is     

beginning to know the value of the      
little knives he carries sheathed in    
those paws1 and he is very soon         
autocratic in his independence4 ,he     
accepts his food as tribute and his care
 as homage due1 and regards man simply  
as another and much weaker animal4      
,such an animal is difficult to train4  
,the only method that may be pursued at 
all is severe letting alone for several 
years4 ,all that time he holds himself  
more and more aloof4 ,he is1 in a way1  
congratulating himself on his success1  
and man in time becomes a shadowy being 
who periodically brings his food1 and   
who1 in some inexplicable way1 keeps him
 in that oblong box for people to stare 
at4  ,he does not mind the people1 nor  
does he mind the cage very much1 for he 
has never known anything else2 but deep 
in him--so deep that he barely realizes 
its existence--slumbers a desire for    
freedom and an unutterable longing for  
the blue sky and the free air4 ,man1 in 
some way1 is to blame for that          

intangible 8something0 that he wants1   
and scarcely knows that he wants2 and   
man has shown him that he is afraid of  
his claws1 and1 therefore1 the animal   
hates and despises man and all belonging
 to him4  ,the cub grows insolent in his
 haughtiness2 then his undefined desire 
for freedom decreases somewhat1 becomes 
more and more vague1 and his existence  
is finally comprised in just two        
sensations3 eating and sleeping4 ,the   
disturbance of either is an insult1 and 
any one who disturbs either an enemy4   
,man allows both to continue1 and so the
 cub in his arrogance tolerates him4    
,the cub passes beyond his days of      
cubhood1 and acquires almost the years  
and stature of a full-grown lion4 ,he   
has few of the qualities of the newly   
captured animal4 ,he does not fear man2 
he knows his own power4 ,he regards man1
 as an inferior1 with an attitude of    
disdain and silent hauteur4  ,when it is
 considered that his memory of the days 
when scratching insured independence has

 faded1 his training is begun4 ,he meets
 it with a reserved majesty and silent  
indifference1 as though he had a dumb   
realization of his wrongs4  ,he has     
probably been in a large cage4 ,this is 
changed to a smaller one that has       
movable bars4 ,the bars are fitted in   
this way for a definite purpose4 ,until 
now the lion has kept in the rear of his
 cage1 as far as possible from the man  
who feeds him1 grabbing his meat and    
retreating with a sullen growl4 ,it is  
desired to bring him into closer        
relationship with his would-be trainer4 
,the bars are moved day by day4 ,soon   
the cage is small enough to permit a    
fairly long stick to reach from the     
front to the back4 ,such a stick1 in the
 hands of a man1 is introduced and      
allowed to remain several hours4 ,the   
lion may take no notice of it2 he may   
growl and he may grab it4 ,whatever he  
does1 the stick is kept there and       
replaced if destroyed4 ,when he has     
grown accustomed to the stick1 it is    

gently rubbed along his neck and back4  
,though he snaps at it at first1 when   
once he finds that the stroking is a    
pleasure1 he soon allows it to be done  
without any protest4  ,illustration3    
,,polar ,,bear ,,used ,,at              
,,pan-,,american ,,exposition ,,for     
,,drawing ,,children',s ,,carriage      
,sometimes a piece of meat is put at the
 end of the stick by the trainer1 and   
this is found to act as an inducement to
 allow the stick to come close to the   
animal4 ,very often the lion will crunch
 the stick to splinters1 and this the   
trainer allows1 as he wishes to prove to
 the animal that he has nothing to fear 
from the stick itself4 ,in a very short 
time he takes the meat quietly1 without 
even growling at the stick2 and when    
this stage of the proceedings is reached
 the stick is made shorter each day1    
until finally it is not much longer than
 the hand4  ,as a rule1 when once the   
stick trick has been accomplished with  
an animal1 it is comparatively easy to  

get on a little farther1 for by that    
time the animal not only has no         
objection to the presence of the        
trainer1 but appears to look for him and
 expect him4 ,his objections1           
suspicions1 and resentment disappear1   
and very soon the fingers replace the   
stick in the stroking process1 and1     
being softer and more soothing than the 
stick1 seem to give greater pleasure    
than the wood4 ,this is a great step    
taken1 for one of the most difficult    
things is to get any wild animal to     
allow himself to be touched with the    
human hand4  ,with a lion which comes   
straight from ,africa or ,asia1 the case
 is different4 ,lions are usually       
trained when between two and three years
 of age4 ,a two-year-old of fine        
physique and restless nature has been   
brought straight from his native haunts4
 ,there he has been actually the monarch
 of the jungle4 ,his life has been free 
and fearless4  ,suddenly1 in the midst  
of his regal existence1 he falls into a 

hidden pit or is snared in the woods4   
,his desperate struggles1 his rage and  
gnashing of teeth1 all the force of his 
tremendous strength1 are ineffectual in 
breaking the bonds of his captivity4    
,after his first supreme efforts are    
over and he has thoroughly exhausted    
himself1 he proves himself a very king  
of beasts in his haughty disdain4 ,he   
apparently realizes his helplessness and
 submits to everything in sullen1       
dignified silence4  ,the lion comes to  
the trainer from the jungle1 after      
having been subjected to abuse and gross
 indignities4 ,from the time of his     
capture by natives who have neither     
feeling nor consideration for the poor  
animal1 until he reaches his final      
quarters1 his treatment1 as a rule1 is  
such as to terrify him and render him   
nervous in the extreme4  ,he has been   
kept in cramped quarters1 cruelly       
joggled and crushed in a narrow box1    
while on his way to the coast from the  
interior1 his bedding left unchanged1   

and the poor food with which he has been
 provided thrown carelessly into the    
refuse and offal which surround him4    
,clean and fastidious1 as the lion      
always is about his food and person1 he 
often refuses to eat1 and this1 added   
sometimes to seasickness1 makes his     
suffering terrible4  ,the finest health 
and strength will not stand such a      
strain for long1 and by the time the    
journey is ended the lion is disgusted  
with man and his ways4 ,in many cases he
 arrives in ,europe or ,america sick and
 weak1 and appears only too ready to die
 and get rid of his troubles4 ,the only 
passion he has in this state is a       
genuine hate for man1 and this hate     
seems to be the only thing which arouses
 him at all4  ,it frequently happens    
that wild animals kill themselves in    
frenzies of fear during transportation4 
,everything in their surroundings is new
 and strange to them4 ,they have lost   
their freedom and the fresh air2 they   
are cramped and half stifled in close   

quarters1 surrounded by dirt and        
unwholesomeness1 and cannot even keep   
their bodies still for two seconds1     
owing to the perpetual motion which goes
 on1 and which1 perhaps1 terrifies them 
more than anything else4 ,therefore1    
when a wild animal is first turned over 
to the trainer1 he is practically mad   
with his experiences and terrors4  ,then
 begins the training4 ,one man1 and one 
man only1 has him in care1 and it is    
always essential in these cases to      
choose a quiet trainer4 ,this is one of 
the reasons why ,captain ,bonavita has  
made such a success in training lions4  
,he is always quiet and self-possessed1 
even in times of extreme peril2 and this
 quietness has more effect on wild      
animals1 particularly lions1 than       
anything else4 ,in some way it seems to 
communicate itself to them and allays   
their fears4 ,often a lion rushing round
 and round a cage will be calmed down by
 a gentle 8,whoa1 whoa10 spoken in a    
soothing manner4  ,the first thing which

 is done is to attend to the animal's   
bodily comfort4 ,in place of dirt and   
unwholesomeness is cleanliness2 in place
 of the filthy1 reeking bed is a fresh1 
sweet one of dry straw2 and fresh food  
and water are brought to him1 always by 
the same trainer1 who invariably speaks 
a few soothing words in a quiet voice   
when ,leo begins to race wildly round   
the cage in the vain effort to get out4 
,a very large cage is never given at    
first1 but the one provided is a great  
improvement on his old cramped quarters4
 ,were it too large1 the animal would   
destroy or seriously injure himself in  
trying to escape4 ,it is generally just 
large enough for him to turn round in   
comfortably1 but not high enough to     
spring about in too much4  ,the feeding 
of the animal is the first step in his  
training4 ,the trainer takes him about  
six pounds of fresh beef or mutton1 with
 a piece of bone1 once a day1 and fresh1
 clear water three times a day4 ,no one 
but the trainer is permitted to go near 

him or to look at him4 ,he must become  
acquainted with the trainer's           
personality1 and must be made to realize
 that his food and drink come from the  
trainer only4 ,he must also be made     
clearly to understand that the trainer  
means him no harm1 but does everything  
for his comfort4  ,the meat is usually  
put upon the end of a long iron fork1   
and passed to him through the bars4 ,he 
has to come a little way forward to take
 the meat1 and gradually1 without       
thinking about it1 he comes close to the
 trainer4 ,at first the water-pan is    
tied to the edge of the cage1 because in
 trying to draw the pan toward him the  
animal would upset it and make the cage 
wet and uncomfortable4 ,there would also
 be the difficulty of getting it out    
again with a stick1 which might arouse  
the animal's anger4  ,when the lion and 
his trainer have once become acquainted1
 he is transferred to another cage2 and 
here again1 for two weeks1 he is fed1   
watered1 and taken care of by the same  

trainer1 until the animal not only gets 
accustomed to him1 but looks forward to 
his presence1 because it invariably     
means something pleasant to himself4 ,in
 about six weeks' time a loose collar is
 slipped around the lion's neck when he 
is asleep4 ,attached to this collar is a
 chain1 long enough for the animal to   
move about1 but just short enough to    
keep him from reaching the end of the   
cage4  ,the next step is for the trainer
 to put a chair inside the cage4        
,instantly the lion springs for it1 but1
 being kept in check by the chain1 finds
 he cannot reach it1 and retires to a   
corner1 growling sulkily at the         
intruder4 ,after casting vindictive     
glances at it1 with occasional growls1  
he becomes accustomed to its presence   
and takes no further notice of it4 ,then
 the trainer1 after opening the door of 
the cage once or twice and looking in1  
finally walks calmly in himself and sits
 on the chair4 ,he is just out of reach 
of the lion1 and when the animal has    

growled and resented it as he did the   
chair1 he again subsides into           
indifference4  ,then comes the time when
 the lion is released from the chain1   
when the trainer takes his life in his  
hands1 and when he knows that the moment
 of extreme danger has arrived4 ,no     
matter how quiet and docile the lion may
 have appeared to be when chained1 he is
 likely to develop suddenly a ferocious 
savagery when released4  ,at this stage 
,captain ,bonavita always carries two   
stout oak sticks1 one in the right hand 
and one in the left4 ,the one in the    
right he keeps for immediate use1 and   
when once punished with this stick1 the 
lion1 not knowing the purpose of the    
stick in the left hand1 comes to fear   
that also and backs away from it4 ,if   
possible1 the sticks are used to stroke 
the lion1 if he will permit it2 for the 
condition of a wild animal is one of    
receptivity--he is willing to welcome   
anything that will give him pleasure4   
,but it is rarely1 indeed1 at this stage

 of the proceedings that he will allow  
this4  ,in the first place1 the lion is 
generally a little frightened or nervous
 himself1 and alarm begets wrath4 ,it is
 feline nature to dissemble that wrath  
until the moment of action4 ,leo does   
not growl or lash his tail4 ,it is not  
the growling lion that is to be feared  
most1 nor does the lashing tail1 as so  
many suppose1 indicate danger4 ,not     
anger1 but good humor1 comes from such  
indications4 ,it is when the tail stands
 out straight and rigid that the trainer
 begins to think of retreat4            
,illustration3 ,,elephants ,,and        
,,trainer  ,when the tail becomes stiff 
in this manner1 it is generally a pretty
 sure indication that the animal is     
going to spring4 ,when the trainer sees 
that tail become like an iron bar1 he   
tries to slip out at the door2 sometimes
 he knows he will never have the        
opportunity4 ,before the lion springs he
 glances aside carelessly1 growling     
quietly1 and the next instant1 with open

 mouth and all four paws distended1 he  
is sailing through the air1 straight for
 the throat of the man1 his tense body  
rigid with passion1 and his five hundred
 pounds of sinew and muscle ready to    
descend on the intruder4  ,the man who  
will not have foreseen that terrific    
onslaught1 holding himself in readiness 
for it1 has no business with wild       
animals1 and will1 in all probability1  
never again attempt any dealings with   
them1 because he will never have the    
chance4 ,the agility which is one of the
 requisite qualities for a trainer must 
come into play1 and upon it depends his 
life4  ,it is here that the chair1 which
 plays no small part in an animal's     
education1 comes into use again4 ,that  
chair was not brought into the cage     
merely for comfort4 ,it is the best     
defense possible against the lion's     
spring4 ,swift and apparently           
unpremeditated as the spring has been1  
the man has seen the tenseness of the   
muscles that preceded it1 and before the

 animal has reached him1 the stout legs 
of the chair are bristling between them4
  ,here is another problem for the lion4
 ,this unknown thing has suddenly       
assumed an unexpected and possibly a    
deadly significance4 ,snarling1 he drops
 on his haunches and claws at the       
barrier2 perhaps he has plumped into it 
and has felt the blows from its dull    
prongs4 ,then out from behind it springs
 a stick--the same stick of his pleasant
 memories1 but turned to base uses now1 
for it flicks him smartly on the tip of 
his nose1 just where a lion keeps all   
his most sensitive feelings4  ,again it 
lands1 and the chances are ten to one   
that two blows on that tender spot are  
enough4 ,howling with rage and          
discomfiture1 the lion ceases to claw   
the chair and retires to his corner1    
very crestfallen and extremely puzzled  
and bewildered4 ,by the time he has had 
leisure to consider the strange         
performance1 the trainer is out of the  
cage1 leaving the chair behind him4     

,now the lion may do any one or all of  
several things1 according to the depth  
of his emotions4 ,he may glower and sulk
 in his corner2 he may rant and tear    
about his cage1 giving vent to his      
outraged feelings in loud roars2 he may 
go for the chair and dismember it 7not  
without scars to his own hide1          
probably72 or he may settle down to     
think matters over calmly1 possibly     
coming to the conclusion that it is     
unwise to attack any strange thing      
before finding out whether it can hurt  
in return4  ,generally1 after this chair
 incident1 when the lion has got the    
worst of it1 he calms down fairly soon1 
and on the reappearance of his trainer  
some time afterward has evidently       
forgotten the unpleasantness of it all1 
and remembers only that it is the       
trainer who brings him all he wants4 ,in
 some cases he greets him with a gentle 
rubbing against the bars of his cage and
 a soft purr1 for he is only a big cat1 
after all4 ,the meat is taken with a    

slightly subdued air1 he allows himself 
to be stroked and patted1--outside the  
bars1--and so another great step in his 
education has been taken and            
accomplished successfully4     ,,chapter
 ,,ix  ,,how ,,wild ,,beasts ,,are      
,,taught ,,tricks   ,the next stage in  
the training of a lion is for the       
trainer to enter the cage again with the
 chair and stick4 ,no longer militant1  
but somewhat timid1 the animal keeps in 
his corner1 furtively watching the      
trainer4 ,little by little1 the man     
edges the chair over until he is within 
reach2 then he begins to rub the lion   
with his stick4 ,little by little he    
decreases the distance still more1      
until1 finally1 he has his hand on the  
lion's shoulder and is patting him      
gently4  ,this is another great step in 
advance4 ,the lion has learned to endure
 the touch of the human hand2 although  
he murmurs sulkily1 he likes it1 for few
 animals are indifferent to petting4    
,day by day the trainer familiarizes the

 lion with his presence and touch2      
rubbing his back1 stroking his          
shoulders1 raising his paws1--a somewhat
 risky and ticklish trial1--and in the  
course of about two weeks after first   
entering the cage1 if the animal be of  
fairly good temper1 all alarm and overt 
enmity have been eradicated1 so         
accustomed has the animal become to the 
presence of this one man4  ,after this  
he is taught to back until he reaches   
the rear of the cage1 and then made to  
lie down4 ,after a time he is made to   
lie down and stand up1 at either the    
word of command or at a certain cue1 and
 after each act of obedience he is given
 a small piece of raw meat as a reward4 
,if he does not obey1 he gets no reward1
 and in time the habit becomes strong1  
and he does what is required of him1    
whether he gets anything for it or not4 
,then comes another period of extreme   
danger for the trainer4 ,this is when   
the animal first enters the arena4 ,he  
finds himself in a place which seems    

vast after a cage1 and becoming a little
 bewildered at the strange surroundings1
 behaves in an entirely different       
manner4 ,many animals who have been     
taught to perform in comparatively small
 cages have to be trained all over again
 when in the arena4 ,in the big arena1  
therefore1 the training of the animals  
has to be practically begun anew4  ,this
 is one reason why trainers are always  
so anxious to get their animals out of  
the training-schools and -cages and into
 the arena as soon as possible4 ,but    
they are liable to get them there too   
soon sometimes1 which is extremely      
dangerous4 ,i have already explained why
 a lion is first put into a small cage  
to begin with4 ,if he goes into the     
arena too soon1 he is more apt to spring
 at the trainer1 because he has not yet 
become tractable and docile enough4  ,on
 first entering the arena1 the lion runs
 round and round1 seeking some place to 
escape1 because his surroundings are    
strange4 ,he is also rather frightened1 

for anything unusual or strange always  
makes a wild animal1 especially a lion1 
nervous2 but the trainer's quiet        
presence and voice generally soothe him 
after a while1 and he soon gets used to 
it4 ,an entire day is generally taken to
 accustom the lion to his new           
surroundings1 and he is then put through
 several evolutions1 just as in the     
smaller cage4  ,beginning at this point1
 the training or education of an animal 
is simply the application to more       
advanced work of the principles already 
followed4 ,it is progress beyond a kind 
of kindergarten1 and learning by        
association has everything to do with   
it4 ,the animal is becoming amenable to 
the mastery of man1 and in doing so his 
own reason is being developed4 ,from    
this time on he begins to take a new    
interest in life4 ,that instinct of     
action1 which he has inherited from his 
ancestors and which has been slumbering1
 is awakened1 and he is learning to know
 and enjoy the cultivated exercise4  ,he

 works gradually into the harness1 and  
soon becomes an adept at the work which 
he has been taught with so much         
painstaking patience4 ,but he always    
remains an animal1 his natural instincts
 are always paramount1 and though he may
 go through his performances meekly1 and
 even with a certain amount of interest1
 there are always deep down in him an   
inborn distrust and fear of man4        
,illustration3 ,,trained ,,but ,,not    
,,tamed  ,the only trainer1 therefore1  
who has any business in a cage with such
 animals is one who thoroughly          
understands their nature1 who knows all 
their weaknesses and characteristics1   
and who fears their strength4 ,if ,i    
ever hear a trainer make a remark to the
 effect that1 after all1 there is       
nothing to be afraid of when once an    
animal is trained1 ,i know that man is  
unfit to be a trainer at all4 ,the man  
who makes the best trainer is the one   
who realizes their treachery1 and knows 
that there is danger at all times and in

 all places with wild animals1 no matter
 how well trained they may be4 ,as ,i   
said before1 no wild animal is ever     
tamed1 only trained1 and the best       
training in the world is nothing when   
once the animal feels inclined to give  
way to his natural savage instincts4    
,in time1 the trained animal becomes so 
accustomed to performing1 that when he  
sees the paraphernalia of his           
performance he knows exactly what is    
expected of him1 and does it naturally  
and readily4 ,the successful performance
 of all trained animals depends on this 
almost instinctive following of         
long-accustomed habit1 together with the
 pleasure the exercise gives to animals 
habitually confined in small cages4     
,leopards1 panthers1 and jaguars are all
 trained in much the same manner4 ,mme4 
,morelli puts them through a course of  
training very similar to that given the 
lion4 ,they are taught to respect and   
look for the trainer1 and have instilled
 into them as much awe as is ever bred  

in any animal1 which is not saying a    
great deal4 ,the jaguar1 leopard1 and   
panther become used to the association  
of the trainer1 and are finally willing1
 through much coaxing and coercion1 to  
perform such elementary feats as are    
required of them4  ,the stick is the    
instrument for the education of these   
animals in the same manner as in the    
case of the lion4 ,to begin with1 a     
broomstick is laid on the floor1 and the
 trainer steps to the back of the stage1
 apparently unarmed1 leaving the stick  
in full sight1 the animal crouching in  
the rear of the cage4 ,after a few      
moments' hesitation1 with the tense1    
strained tightening of his              
leg-muscles1--which all trainers know so
 well as a signal of danger1--the animal
 launches its sleek1 compact1 sinewy    
body full upon the unprotected          
broomstick4  ,the dull wood1 like a     
craven1 has not spunk enough to respond4
 ,it accepts the punishment as a        
,chinaman does in battle1 with no       

apparent expectation of anything        
different4 ,the animal1 disgusted1      
leaves the stick and launches himself at
 the trainer4 ,the trainer1 small and   
delicate woman as she is1 meets the     
charge with coolness and that quiet     
reserve force which stands all trainers 
in such good stead4 ,the broomstick is  
not her only weapon4 ,she has another3  
an iron prong1 heavy1 thick1 and with a 
point dull enough to leave whatever skin
 it touches unlacerated1 but sharp      
enough to remind any animal that he is  
in poor business in an attack on it1    
when held in the hands of a determined  
trainer4  ,the prong is attached to the 
end of a stick much larger and longer   
than the first stick1 and against that  
combination the animal throws himself4  
,he comes out of the encounter with a   
cowed air and an added respect for the  
small woman who held it4 ,he slinks     
again into his corner1 but allows       
himself to be finally coaxed out and    
stroked with the very stick which had   

resisted his first spring in such a     
decided manner4  ,finally1 the stick is 
laid on the floor1 and after much       
persuasion1 the animal is induced to    
walk over it1 which he does1 hissing and
 snarling4 ,he is led over it again and 
again1 and fails to notice that each    
time the stick is raised a little from  
the floor1 until finally he finds1      
somewhat to his surprise and            
discomfiture1 that when he walks over   
the stick he has to make quite a spring 
in order to get over it at all4 ,before 
this stick incident is finished1 he     
jumps over a stick raised as high as a  
chair4  ,no animal is ever allowed to   
backslide4 ,each thing done one day must
 be done the next day in exactly the    
same way2 there must be no deviation    
from the rule4 ,this is the reason that 
in every animal act the trainer         
positively insists upon perfect         
adherence to the regular formula4 ,such 
is the force of habit that laxity to-day
 means a desire for laxity to-morrow at 

the same place and in the same way1 and 
laxity in one small detail will breed   
the tendency for it1 which will then in 
all probability spread and in a short   
time affect the whole performance4 ,this
 is why everything is done with such    
careful attention to detail4            
,illustration3 8,,depew0  ,if an animal 
is sent to the right side on entering   
the arena the first day1 he is sent to  
the right every day thereafter1 and the 
direction in which he goes after leaving
 his pedestal1 and before taking his    
place in the group1 is always the same4 
,each animal1 too1 in a group has his   
own place and his own time for assuming 
the place2 and should he once leave it1 
there would be danger to the whole      
performance4 ,the trainer1 too1 even in 
walking about the arena1 always walks in
 the same way1 and gives his closest    
attention to the prevention of the      
happening of anything unusual4          
,performing animals particularly dislike
 a change in the stage setting1 and it  

is absolutely necessary1 whenever a new 
one is contemplated1 to accustom them to
 it by the most gradual means4 ,there   
have been times when an animal1 seeing a
 new barrel or block for the first time1
 would attack it with such gusto that   
not only would the objectionable piece  
of furniture be destroyed1 but so much  
excitement would be communicated to the 
other animals that it would be found    
impossible to go on with the act4  ,the 
dangerous tigress1 ,goldie1 which       
performs with ,herman ,weedon1 has a    
special dislike to the red pedestal on  
which she has to sit during the         
performance4 ,at all other times1 when  
this pedestal is out of sight1 ,goldie  
is as meek and mild as a kitten1 and    
will allow herself to be smoothed and   
stroked with every symptom of pleasure4 
,but when once that red pedestal is in  
view1 ,goldie is a fury4 ,at one time   
,herman ,weedon tried painting the      
objectionable stool another color1 but  
he soon found that in ,goldie's case it 

was not the color or the pedestal itself
 that she objected to3 it was the fact  
that when she saw that pedestal she knew
 that she had to perform1 which raised  
all her temper and animosity4  ,an      
incident which occurred in ,kansas ,city
 will well illustrate the force of habit
 in wild animals4 ,an error on the part 
of the workmen had caused ,mme4         
,pianka's cage to be misplaced1 and it  
became necessary that a smaller one be  
substituted4 ,such a change from one    
accustomed condition to another is one  
which performing animals particularly   
dislike1 and it is avoided whenever     
possible1 but in this case it was       
unavoidable4  ,the lions all objected to
 the change1 and showed their           
displeasure by many unmistakable signs4 
,one lioness absolutely refused to enter
 the cage at all2 ,mme4 ,pianka coaxed1 
ordered1 and flicked her whip4 ,the     
lioness had been a good animal1 but some
 unaccountable sulkiness1 such as is    
likely to obtrude into the good nature  

of any animal at any time1 had taken    
possession of her1 and nothing would    
move her4  ,it was at this juncture that
 ,i decided to enter her cage myself and
 insist on obedience4 ,the lioness      
looked casually at me and then at the   
small riding-whip in my hand1 and after 
a little demur went into the cage and   
through her act without any more fuss or
 sulkiness4 ,i was in the act of leaving
 the cage when ,i1 thoughtlessly1 did a 
most foolish thing4  ,pleased to think  
,i had subdued the big cat1 ,i          
carelessly tapped the riding-whip on the
 ground1 merely for a flourish4 ,twenty 
feet away the lioness's mate was        
standing1 watching the whole proceeding 
with dubious eyes4 ,he promptly noted   
the action1 had never seen it before1   
mistook its intent for an attack on his 
mate1 and with a single bound was on me4
 ,before ,i had time to realize what was
 happening1 the lion had pinned me      
through the fleshy part of the thigh1   
and we both went down together4  ,the   

lion loosened his hold1 gathered himself
 up1 and picking me up in his mouth1 as 
though ,i were a tiny child1 carried me 
over to ,pianka1 as though for her      
approval4 ,here1 fortunately for myself1
 the force of habit again came into     
play4  ,in ,mme4 ,pianka's hand was the 
revolver1 loaded with blank cartridges1 
which she used for her act4 ,two of     
these she fired1 in quick succession1   
close to the lion's ear4 ,that was one  
of the signals for a change in his act2 
the other1 a simultaneous one1 was to   
throw her arm about his neck4 ,the      
natural pose which had always been      
suggested by these two actions in       
conjunction worked the charm4 ,the force
 of habit brought him to instant        
obedience1 he drew his teeth out of my  
body1 fell into the pose1 and seemed    
quite oblivious of the anger that had   
only the moment before aroused him to   
his dangerous attack4  ,i scrambled to  
my feet1 and after running the lion once
 or twice round the arena1 just to      

demonstrate that ,i still had the       
mastery1 went off to bed4 ,the teeth had
 not touched the bone1 but there were   
some bad flesh wounds1 and ,i was not up
 again for three weeks4 ,and all this   
was through a foolish little bit of     
byplay to which the lion was not        
accustomed4  ,after the animal has      
learned his lesson and become expert in 
his performance1 there still remains the
 test of a public appearance4 ,this is  
always a matter of anxiety for the      
trainer1 as animals suffer from stage   
fright4 ,the sight of a crowd is likely 
to distract them and draw their         
attention from the trainer1 so that they
 lose their cues4 ,once thoroughly      
accustomed to the stage1 they seem to   
find in it a sort of intoxication well  
known to a species higher in the order  
of nature4 ,nearly all trainers assert  
that animals are affected by the        
attitude of an audience1 that they are  
stimulated by the applause of an        
enthusiastic house1 and perform         

indifferently before a cold audience4   
,the pleasure in acting and showing off 
before others is1 perhaps1 more plainly 
demonstrated by bears than by any other 
animals4 ,the conceit and good opinion  
of themselves which some performing     
bears have is absolutely ridiculous4    
,one trainer1 ,roberto1 has cleverly    
trained some very young bears to perform
 various acts4 ,the duty of one is to   
climb up a ladder1 set free the         
,american flag1 and sit on the top of   
the ladder until his trainer has played 
a tune on the violin while he balances  
the bear on the ladder4  ,so proud is   
the little bear of his accomplishment   
that whenever any one is looking on1 he 
will go through the whole performance by
 himself1 evidently simply for the      
pleasure of doing it1 and no one can    
fail to see the conceitedness of his    
manner as he does it4 ,bears very seldom
 get nervous in public2 they enjoy the  
acts too much4  ,more animals are lost  
to the arena from fear than through     

viciousness4 ,trainers dread a timid    
lion1 tiger1 or leopard1 not only       
because in its panic it is likely to    
injure the trainer1 but because it is   
unreliable1 and may take fright and     
spoil a whole performance4 ,when animals
 are found to be so unusually timid that
 it is impossible to rely on them1 they 
are not used for any of the higher      
classes of performances1 but are        
employed for the more simple sensational
 acts1 which often take the public quite
 as much as the more difficult feats1   
but which require little preparatory    
education4  ,in cases of wild animals in
 captivity suddenly seizing a keeper or 
other person1 the best means to make    
them loosen their hold is either to fire
 off blank cartridges or to turn a hose 
on them4 ,generally the hose has the    
greatest effect1 as it stops the        
animal's breath for the time1 and he    
loosens his hold to breathe4 ,in many   
cases1 however1 nothing in the world    
will induce a wild animal to loosen his 

hold1 and in this case it is merely a   
matter of brute strength1 which it is   
impossible to overcome1 except by       
killing the animal1 and even then he    
will often hold on long enough to finish
 his victim4  ,the keeping of red-hot   
irons in case of emergencies ,i         
discarded about ten or eleven years ago4
 ,i rejected it because it is an        
extremely cruel expedient1 and seldom   
effectual as a remedy for the attacks of
 wild beasts4 ,this fact was            
contradicted a short time ago by a man  
who stated that he saw some irons being 
heated in one of the coke fires4 ,so he 
did1 but this was in the winter1 and my 
practice is then to put hot irons into  
the drinking-water of the animals       
occasionally4 ,this practice is always  
observed in all my shows during the     
winter months4 ,it has the value of     
taking the chill off the water1 and also
 imparts some of the beneficial         
qualities of the iron1 thus giving an   
iron tonic and drinkable water at the   

same time4  ,illustration3 ,a           
,,difficult ,,feat  ,for the reason that
 it is cruel and unsafe1 ,i never now   
allow any firearms to be used1 unless it
 is in a case of great urgency4 ,i took 
this precaution after an incident in    
,chicago1 when the cheek of a spectator 
was grazed by a shot fired by a trainer 
at one of his infuriated animals4 ,the  
weapons that are used now are           
intelligence1 pluck1 vigilance1 and     
patience4 ,with these used in the proper
 way1 very few animals in captivity1    
whether trained or not1 will do those   
about them any harm4     ,,chapter ,x   
,,an ,,animal ,,show ,,at ,,night   ,to 
those who are the least timid or not    
accustomed to it1 an animal show at     
night has a gruesome and somewhat       
terrifying aspect4  ,the general        
impression is1 that when the trainer has
 made his final bow and the band has    
given a gentle suggestion to those      
departing by playing 8,say #8,au        
revoir1' and not good-by10 everything is

 over and finished for the day4  ,but to
 the chief trainers1 the day--or        
night--is only just beginning4 ,for it  
is at night1 when the majority of people
 are in bed and asleep1 that the        
principal work of animal training       
begins4 ,there are various reasons for  
this4  ,all carnivora are nocturnal     
animals1 and although after many years  
in captivity they get into the habit of 
sleeping part of the night1 they are    
generally more or less alert and        
wakeful4 ,during the day they are lazy1 
sleepy1 and somewhat stupid1 but as     
night draws near they begin to be       
restless1 and it has been found far less
 difficult to attract their attention in
 the night time than either in the early
 morning or during the day4  ,also1     
there are no workers or loiterers round 
the place to take off their attention   
when being taught new tricks1--the least
 thing will attract an animal's         
attention1--and there are also more time
 and opportunity for arranging the      

hoists1 or cranes1 with which some      
animals are taught to understand what is
 wanted of them4 ,these are used chiefly
 for teaching elephants to stand on     
their hind legs1 to lift up a fore leg  
and walk on the remaining three1 or to  
lie down4  ,in teaching him to stand up 
on his hind legs1 the ropes are attached
 to each of his fore legs1 and at       
certain words of command they are gently
 hoisted into the air1 leaving the      
elephant supporting himself on his hind 
legs4 ,this has to be done sometimes as 
often as fifteen or sixteen times before
 he understands what he is wanted to do1
 but after a while1 simply from force of
 habit1 he begins to raise himself at   
the signal1 and although the ropes are  
still kept round his legs1 he will      
gradually get into the way of doing the 
whole thing himself1 seemingly          
unconsciously4  ,much the same sort of  
thing is done in teaching him to lie    
down1 only in this case a rope with a   
slip noose is passed round his body at  

the small of his back1 one hind foot and
 one fore foot are tied and moved out   
from under him1 and then the ropes are  
pulled gently but firmly until he lies  
down4 ,when this has been done six or   
eight times1 the elephant generally lies
 down of his own accord4  ,not only does
 it take some time to arrange the       
cranes1 but1 as it needs sometimes eight
 or ten men to help1 these men are told 
off for certain nights for an hour or   
so's work1 and are able then to give    
their undivided attention to what they  
are doing4 ,for elephants1 although most
 intelligent animals when trained1 are  
sometimes extremely difficult to teach1 
while their great bulk and strength make
 them formidable creatures to annoy4    
,illustration3 8,,doc0 ,,balancing      
,,himself ,,on ,a ,,ball ,,placed ,,on  
,a ,,see-,,saw  ,one of the first things
 an elephant is taught to do is to walk 
round the arena without running away4   
,some elephants show in the earliest    
stage of training that they can never be

 persuaded not to bolt at every         
opportunity1 and this is another reason 
why so much of the training takes place 
at night4 ,should an elephant take it   
into his head to stop suddenly and go   
out1 he would follow out his intention  
at the risk of danger and death to those
 not only inside the show1 but outside4 
,were he to do this in the daytime1 the 
chances are that he would cause a panic1
 but at night the darkness and quiet    
have a soothing effect upon him1 and    
even supposing he should get out1--which
 rarely occurs1 as great precautions are
 taken1--there are few people abroad for
 him to injure4 ,even a well-trained    
elephant will sometimes stop his tricks 
abruptly and calmly walk out of the     
arena4 ,in this case1 however1 there is 
no danger whatever1 as he simply wants  
to go back to his house and eat peanuts 
and biscuits1 as he was doing when      
interrupted for the performance4  ,to   
make an elephant stand on a barrel or   
cylinder is simply a matter of inducing 

him to remain there4 ,ten chances to one
 he will bolt in the middle of it2 but  
there is no need to teach him to balance
 himself--he will attend to that        
himself4 ,the same applies to           
see-sawing3 he begins with a plank1 and 
gradually gets accustomed to the        
movement4 ,these methods are simple1 but
 many months1 expended in short and     
frequent lessons delivered with great   
patience1 must be consumed in           
instruction in order to make a success  
of it4  ,quiet and brevity are important
 considerations in the lessons4 ,what is
 to us no appreciable exertion requires 
an effort on the part of an animal which
 soon wearies it1 and1 if care is not   
taken1 disgusts it1 and this makes it   
incapable of further instruction until  
it has rested4 ,there is also the danger
 that if too much instruction is given  
at a time1 or if strangers are present1 
the animal will not only be irritated   
but rebellious1 and finally refuse to do
 anything at all4 ,there is then nothing

 to be done but to give up the idea of  
ever making a performer of the animal1  
and let him be a mere figure in the     
show4  ,it will thus be seen how        
essential it is to do the chief part of 
the training by night4 ,there is only   
one runway behind the cages1 and no one 
is ever allowed in the training-school  
or in the runway during a performance2  
and as no performance is given after    
eleven1 the trainers can rest assured   
that there is no danger of an accidental
 meeting4 ,in this way all risk of two  
trainers and their animals meeting in   
the runway is avoided4  ,therefore1 as  
soon as the public has disappeared after
 the evening performance1 a busy time   
begins in the animal-show4 ,most of the 
lights are turned out4 ,the bolts1 bars1
 and doors of each cage are looked at2  
certain men go round the show at stated 
intervals to make sure that there is no 
danger of fire1 and the trainers equip  
themselves for their dangerous          
experiments1 and begin to turn their    

animals out for their lessons4  ,by this
 time most of the animals have partly   
settled down for the night1 with the    
exception of some few who1 unable to    
forget their natural feelings1 are      
restlessly pacing up and down their     
cages4 ,but however quiet it may happen 
to be at the time of closing1 the minute
 a trainer makes his animals come out of
 their various cages and go into the    
arena1 peace is at an end4 ,to get the  
animals out of their cages and into the 
arena is most difficult and dangerous4  
,sometimes they come out with a rush at 
the trainer and his assistants1 and     
sometimes they remain in a corner and   
refuse to move in spite of persuasions1 
coaxings1 or threats4 ,in this case     
there is nothing for the trainer to do  
but to go into the cage and drive the   
animal out4  ,the animal generally gives
 in1 and finally leaves the cage and    
sulkily betakes himself to the arena2   
but he always relieves his feelings by  
growls or roars1 and these resentful    

protests are promptly answered by nearly
 all the other animals in the building4 
,this is specially the case when a      
strange animal is led out1 for animals  
are peculiarly quick in recognizing and 
resenting the presence of a stranger4   
,the natural instinct is to get at the  
intruder and have a fight1 in order to  
prove which is the superior of the two1 
and1 failing in this1 their only form of
 relief lies in roaring at the top of   
their voices4 ,when one starts1 another 
follows1 and then another1 until at last
 scarcely an animal in the building is  
silent4  ,the lion generally starts with
 three big roars1 ending up with the    
curious1 short1 gasping barks so        
characteristic of him4 ,the other lions 
follow in chorus2 the tigers roar in    
concert2 the jaguars1 leopards1 and     
panthers give their peculiar coughing   
growls2 the peccary sends forth his     
choking cry1 so like a desperate appeal 
for help2 and the bears growl a surly   
accompaniment4  ,occasionally1 should an

 elephant be receiving his first        
lessons1 he will introduce a few notes  
of shrill trumpeting as a relief to the 
roars and growls1 and a hyena will      
suddenly burst out in fiendish1         
hysterical laughter1 while the wolves   
and coyotes keep up a low1 monotonous   
howling1 which to some people is worse  
than all the other cries1 screams1 and  
roars put together4  ,added to all these
 weird sounds1 the cages1 with the      
exception of the arena1 are in darkness1
 and the soft1 stealthy tread of        
footsteps and an occasional gleam of    
green and yellow eyes from all corners1 
make it necessary that trainers should  
not only have strong muscles and nerves1
 but plenty of cool courage and         
self-control4 ,for many of the strongest
 men are totally unnerved by            
surroundings of this kind4  ,there is1  
of course1 always the chance that an    
animal may get out1 and if a man once   
begins to dwell on these things and     
becomes nervous1 imagining he hears     

various noises1 his training is         
absolutely worthless4 ,he must give his 
whole1 undivided attention to what he is
 doing1 both for his own sake and that  
of the animal he is training4  ,of      
course1 accidents occur while training  
as well as when performing in public1   
but comparatively few accidents ever    
take place at night4 ,this may possibly 
be because there is nothing likely to   
startle the animals1 or because they    
themselves feel the effect of the dim   
lights and the silence4  ,a curious     
thing once happened which might have    
proved disastrous4 ,a trainer had been  
through his performance with his        
animals1 had seen them safely back into 
their cages1 and was just going through 
the building on his way to his rooms1   
which were overhead1 when he thought he 
heard a movement4 ,it sounded like the  
scuttling of a rat1 and1 being unable to
 see what it was1 he struck a match and 
lighted a small lantern he carried in   
his hand4  ,he was shutting the little  

door of the lantern leisurely 7for the  
greatest precautions have to be observed
 in case of fire71 when something rubbed
 against him softly4 ,thinking it was   
his dog come to look for him1 he put his
 hand down to stroke him1 and then found
 he was stroking the back of a lion6    
,the animal appeared to be dazed by the 
sudden flash of the lantern thrown in   
his eyes1 and the trainer speaking      
quietly to the other men who were       
settling matters up for the night1 the  
king of beasts was persuaded to return  
to his cage close by before he had time 
to recover from his astonishment4  ,it  
was entirely due to the prompt presence 
of mind of this trainer that no harm    
came from this incident2 for as soon as 
the door was closed on the lion1 he     
appeared to realize that he had lost a  
good opportunity1 and did his best to   
get out again1 but it was too late4 ,it 
was found that a bolt had loosened in   
its socket1 and when the animal had     
rubbed against the door1 it had fallen  

out and freed him4  ,in using the arena 
at night for training1 the trainers     
generally arrange among themselves as to
 what time1 and for how long1 each man  
shall have it4 ,in this way1 all the    
trainers get a certain time without     
clashing with one another1 and it can be
 readily seen that where there are      
several trainers1 the training sometimes
 goes on all night long4  ,whether this 
happens or not1 the animals1 one and    
all1 indulge in a general chorus at     
daybreak4 ,this is1 perhaps1 even more  
weird than the combined noises in the   
night1 for the dim morning light makes  
the building full of shadows1 and each  
cage is full of restless animals pacing 
to and fro4 ,as the light gets stronger 
they settle down again1 though first one
 large head and then another will be    
lifted at the sound of the men who first
 come in to clean up either whistling or
 speaking to one another4               
,illustration3 ,,jaguars1 ,,leopards1   
,,and ,,panthers  ,after this they are  

fairly still1 until they are roused     
while their cages are cleaned and washed
 out2 then each trainer goes round and  
attends to his own animals1 and after   
that comes feeding-time4 ,the carnivora 
are given their pieces of meat2 the     
other animals have what is best suited  
to them2 and many other things are done 
until the public once more appears to   
witness another performance4            
,,chapter ,,xi  ,,the ,,principles ,,of 
,,training   ,it is a long time since   
naturalists and philosophers maintained 
the doctrine that animals1 being        
controlled by instinct1 were quite      
incapable of comprehending new ideas1   
and of acquiring and memorizing novel   
things which they have been taught to do
 by man4  ,many reflective men now      
believe that the mind of an animal      
differs from the human intellect only in
 degree4 ,the extent of this difference1
 however1 remains a question1 and one on
 which close observation of domestic    
animals1 and more particularly of wild  

animals trained for public amusement1 is
 calculated to throw a great deal of    
light4  ,through a study of wild animals
 in their native haunts there may be    
learned what progress each has made in  
adapting itself to the natural          
conditions of its life2 but the study of
 trained animals1 placed under new      
conditions and influences1 will show    
whether these are capable of further or1
 at any rate1 divergent advancement     
intellectually1 and give some hint of   
the probable limit of this progress4 ,it
 may then be seen to what extent the    
animal trainer has gone in his          
development of brute intellect1 and that
 that development has come about under  
conditions not entirely dissimilar to   
those observed in the advancement of the
 intellect of the higher species of     
animals4  ,it should be noted1 first1   
that 8taming0 and 8training0 are two    
different words expressing two distinct 
ideas4 8,taming0 is merely inducing an  
animal to abandon its natural fierce    

disposition so far as to come under     
human control and be more or less       
sociable with man4 ,it is a matter in   
which animals differ very widely1 not   
only as between classes1 but as between 
individuals of the same species4        
,moreover1 tameness seems to be a matter
 of the disposition rather than of the  
intellect1 and1 perhaps1 pertains to a  
lower rather than to a higher grade of  
intelligence1 for it is noticeable that 
some of the animals most apt in the     
school of the trainer abandon only      
slightly1 if at all1 their native       
savagery4 ,on the other hand1 some      
animals thoroughly domesticated seem    
quite incapable of any degree of        
education1 though this may be from the  
fact that no one has tried it in a      
continuous or systematic way4  ,it would
 be hazardous to say that any animal    
organism is too low to manifest1 had we 
eyes to see it1 some intelligence       
superior to instinct4 ,it is said that  
even fishes can be taught simple        

actions1 although personally ,i have had
 no proof of it4 ,serpents can also be  
taught a little1 though performing      
snakes are usually simply submitting to 
be put through certain motions in the   
hands of their keepers4 ,but from birds 
up to elephants1 the most intelligent of
 all animals1 there is not one species1 
it may safely be said1 which is not more
 or less amenable to the training of    
man4  ,it is a delusion to think that a 
wild animal is ever really 8tamed40 ,he 
acquires1 through passiveness and       
receptivity1 an amenity to man's        
control1 and for the time being drops   
his ferocity4 ,this is partly because of
 the inducements which are placed in his
 way4 ,he has all that an animal can    
want1--food1 cleanliness1 indolence1    
proper exercise1 even                   
affection1--everything but freedom1 but 
he only bows to man's will because man1 
through the exercise of his             
intelligence1 takes advantage of the    
animal's ignorance4 ,every animal       

trainer thoroughly understands what the 
public does not know--that the trained  
animal is a product of science2 but the 
tamed animal is a chimera of the        
optimistic imagination1 a forecast of   
the millennium4  ,the first principle   
that is taught a trainer is3 8,never let
 an animal know his power40 ,the moment 
he realizes that1 he is likely to use   
his terrible teeth1 or still more       
terrible claws1 for ,i always try to    
impress upon the trainers that each     
animal is1 as it were1 possessed of five
 mouths1 as he can do as much1 if not   
more1 damage with each of his four feet 
as with his mouth4  ,the very moment an 
animal realizes his power1 his training 
is at an end4 ,he grows insolent1 and in
 nine cases out of ten proceeds to wreak
 his vengeance on the trainer for what  
he concludes are past outrages2 his fear
 has gone1 and with his knowledge comes 
power1 and his animal ferocity1 long    
slumbering and awaiting an opening1     
breaks out with redoubled vigor4 ,the   

only thing to be done is for the trainer
 to get out as soon as possible1 and let
 that particular animal lead a solitary 
life for the remainder of his days4     
,this is one of the reasons that        
everything is done to further the       
animal's increased respect for mankind4 
,if he makes a scratch on a trainer1 the
 man does not resent it in any way1 for 
he does not wish the animal to know that
 he is capable of inflicting injury4    
,should the animal become aware in the  
slightest degree that what has been done
 is an evidence of any superior ability1
 he might naturally presume upon it and 
proceed to hurt the trainer in some     
other manner4  ,many animals do1 of     
course1 inflict injuries upon the       
trainers fairly often1 but it is a most 
unwise trainer who ever makes the       
slightest sign of pain or annoyance4    
,trainers have been known to give a     
flick of the whip1 or some other        
punishment1 but the result is always the
 same4 ,either the animal promptly      

retorts in some real injury1 or indulges
 in a fit of the sulks which he is slow 
to forget4 ,the blow he1 as a rule1     
never forgets4  ,not long ago1 ,herman  
,weedon went to greet his favorite bear1
 ,doc1 in the early morning4 ,it is his 
custom to put his face close to the bear
 for a morning kiss or caress1 to which 
the bear responds affectionately4 ,in   
this case1 ,herman was outside the cage1
 and the bear1 wishing to get his face  
closer1 put out one paw to draw it      
nearer4 ,the long claws tore the flesh  
of the trainer's face1 and injured his  
eye so badly that it was feared he would
 lose his sight4 ,but no punishment was 
given to the animal1 neither was he     
allowed to know what he had done or to  
what extent his terrible claws had hurt 
the trainer4 ,the animal had intended no
 harm1 and it would have been most      
unwise to let him know how easily he    
could hurt1 so no notice whatever was   
taken of the matter4  ,there are many   
slight attacks made by animals such as  

that in which ,young ,wallace tore my   
leg4 ,this was simply an accident1 and  
not intentional on the part of the      
animal1 therefore it did not go against 
his character4 ,no performer is put on  
the list of bad animals unless he makes 
a direct and full attack4 ,striking at  
the trainer with the paws may amount to 
very little2 it may be purely           
accidental4 ,it is the spring that      
counts4 ,every trainer expects to be    
clawed somewhat1 and there is no        
successful trainer who has remained in  
the business long enough to entitle him 
to the name of trainer1 and does not    
bear many marks of scratches and tears  
somewhere on his body4  ,my own body and
 limbs are elaborately tattooed with    
testimonials from my feline friends of  
many years past1 for from my earliest   
boyhood ,i have been in intimate contact
 with the carnivora in the menagerie4   
,all this is a matter of course4  ,the  
beast that springs1 however1 must either
 be cowed into submission quickly1 or   

the trainer must escape from the cage as
 soon as possible4 ,if the animal really
 means business1 it is the man's part   
and duty to get out1 for no man can     
stand against the strength of a lion1   
the cautious spring of a tiger1 or the  
tremendous power and terrible agility of
 a leopard or jaguar4  ,illustration3   
,,exchanging ,,confidences  ,supposing a
 man gets fairly cornered1 the best     
defense against a charging lion or tiger
 is to strike the animal on the nose1   
hitting up from under2 but this is by no
 means an easy thing to do1 as the      
animal will spring and dodge with a     
degree of skill that would do credit to 
a master of the prize ring4 ,meantime1  
however1 the man can have been edging   
into a position that will give him an   
opportunity to escape4  ,the            
felines--lions1 tigers1 jaguars1 and    
leopards--jump for the throat4 ,that is 
the objective point against which all   
carnivora make their most decided       
attack4 ,it is in this way that they    

hunt their jungle prey1 and they carry  
the practices of the jungle into their  
association with human beings4 ,an agile
 man1--and no man should be allowed to  
become an animal trainer if he is not   
agile1--when he sees that the animal is 
going to leap1 can avoid the onset and  
get in a blow that will not injure the  
animal1 but will send him cringing to   
the other end of the cage4  ,it is when 
knocked down that the great danger comes
 to the trainer4 ,on his feet he is the 
master1 but for prostrate humanity an   
animal has no respect whatever4 ,on his 
feet there is always a chance of        
controlling the animals2 but when down  
his power is gone4 ,the minute his body 
touches the floor the man ceases to be  
master4 ,if knocked down1 the man's only
 chance is to struggle to the bars and  
raise himself1 for back on his feet he  
may stem the tide of onslaught4 ,a      
stick1 a whip1 a chair1 perseverance1   
and aggressive pluck will then be his   
weapons of subjugation4  ,some animals  

train easily2 others learn their lessons
 with great diffidence and some         
reluctance4 ,what one lion may learn in 
a week may take another a month2 what   
one tiger may do in two lessons may take
 another one several months even to     
imitate feebly4 ,one may as well try to 
give a hard and set rule for the rearing
 of a child1 taking it through nursing1 
kindergarten1 the primary grade1 the    
high school and into college1 without   
allowing the slightest leeway for the   
personal equation1 as to say what is    
necessary for the training of an animal 
in general4 ,each is a study1 alone and 
complete in itself1 and each animal has 
its distinct individuality4  ,one of the
 greatest factors in training is to     
secure prompt obedience from the        
animals1 not only at the beginning1 but 
always4 ,when once an animal is taught  
to go to a certain place1 the next thing
 is to make him clearly understand that 
he is to stay there until he has his cue
 to come down again4 ,this is important 

in more ways than one4  ,in the first   
place1 the fact of their staying on     
their pedestals means everything to the 
trainer--probably his life4 ,when once  
the animals have been made to know that 
they must not get down until told1 the  
trainer is safe4 ,very few1 if any1     
beasts will spring from a pedestal4 ,it 
is an awkward place to spring from1 for 
one thing1 and there is not room to give
 enough impetus1 for another4 ,but when 
an animal is on the ground1 there is    
never any knowing what he may take into 
his head to do next4  ,there is         
absolutely no danger to the woman       
trainer1 ,la ,belle ,selica1 no matter  
how much she dances and pirouettes in   
front of and around her lions1 as long  
as they keep on their pedestals4 ,it is 
when one gets down that the danger      
threatens4 ,then there is not only the  
probability that the lion will spring1  
but there is also the chance1 and a very
 great one1 that all the other lions    
will also get down1 for what one animal 

does another generally does too4 ,this  
trainer was attacked at one time in this
 very manner4  ,she had entered the     
arena1 got all four lions up on their   
pedestals1 and was half way through her 
dance1 when one lioness got slowly and  
indifferently down and settled herself  
comfortably on the floor4 ,this would   
not do2 so1 still going on with her     
dancing1 the trainer ordered the lioness
 up again4 ,not feeling inclined to get 
up1 the lioness growled a little1 in    
return for which ,la ,belle ,selica     
flicked her with a small whip that she  
carried in her hand4 ,unfortunately1 at 
this moment another lion got down1 and  
the trainer not only had the lioness to 
tackle1 but had also to keep a sharp    
lookout for the other lion4             
,illustration3 ,,the ,,largest ,,number 
,,of ,,lions ,,ever ,,grouped  ,she gave
 another flick with her whip1 but at    
another growl from the lioness the      
second lion sprang forward and knocked  
the trainer down4 ,in a wonderful manner

 she was up again in a moment1 and the  
lion's attention being attracted from   
outside the arena by two of the         
trainers1 ,la ,belle ,selica was able to
 get out without much injury4 ,by the   
time she reached the door both the other
 lions had also got down1 and it is     
doubtful whether she would not have lost
 her life had she not been very quick4  
,the curious thing was that at her next 
performance the lions seemed to have    
forgotten all about the incident1 and   
were perfectly obedient1 none seeming to
 have any wish to get down at all4  ,one
 of the most dangerous moments in the   
whole of ,captain ,bonavita's           
performance is when he first enters and 
has to get all twenty-seven lions up on 
the pedestals4 ,dozens of things may    
happen before he gets them there4 ,a    
lion may be in a playful mood and catch 
him by the leg1 throwing him down2 one  
of them may get in his way and trip him 
up2 he may get a blow from one of the   
many hard1 ropy tails1 or a pat from one

 of the huge paws4 ,one or two lions may
 suddenly consider that this would be a 
good time to spring on him2 a couple of 
them may have a romp together1 and so   
knock against him2 and1 what is far more
 serious1 one or two may begin a quarrel
 which may end in a free fight1 in which
 all the others would be only too ready 
to join4  ,all these things may happen  
before he is able to get them on the    
pedestals2 but1 when once there1 the    
force of habit and obedience has become 
so strong1 and the personal influence of
 this trainer is so powerful1 that it is
 an exceedingly rare thing for even one 
of the twenty-seven to once get down4   
,occasionally this will happen1 but a   
steady look from ,bonavita1 a motion    
from his whip1 and the lion gets slowly 
up from the floor1 ascends the pedestal1
 and puts on an indifferent air1 as     
though he had been there all the time4  
,absolute obedience from the animals is 
one of the great foundations of         
training4 ,without it1 there would be no

 performing animals1 and no trainer4 ,i 
have seen trainers spend hours1 and     
sometimes a whole day1 insisting on an  
animal doing some little thing which he 
is reluctant to do4 ,the thing itself1  
perhaps1 is not very important2 it may  
not be used in the performance at all1  
but it is a matter of obedience1 and it 
must be insisted upon1 no matter at what
 trouble or cost4  ,richard ,de ,kenzo1 
one of the most daring trainers1 nearly 
lost his life at one time because he had
 not insisted on an animal promptly     
obeying him4 ,de ,kenzo prefers to train
 only the more savage and treacherous   
beasts1 but in this case he had         
concluded that the animal was not       
feeling very well1 and it is a strict   
rule that no animal who is the least    
sick is ever allowed to perform or be   
trained4 ,for this reason1 then1 the    
animal was let off2 but the next time he
 absolutely refused to do what was      
wanted of him1 and the fact of trying to
 make him do so brought about an attack 

which might have ended very seriously4  
,as it was1 ,de ,kenzo got off with a   
badly torn hand and arm1 and was ill for
 several weeks4  ,much has been said1   
and much more doubtless imagined1 by the
 casual observer about the control which
 a trainer has over his charges by      
reason of some magnetic power in his    
eye4 ,no greater fallacy ever existed4  
,a study of ,bonavita's performance     
would satisfy any one as to that        
question4 ,he has twenty-seven lions in 
the arena at one time1 and is constantly
 turning his back on most of them1      
walking about among them1 and singling  
out1 from time to time1 here and there1 
some one for special acts and tricks4   
,he would require twenty-seven pairs of 
eyes to control his act if the eye      
supposition were correct4  ,it is not   
the eye1--though that may express the   
qualities of resoluteness1 of wariness1 
and of patience1--it is the brain that  
controls a score and more of beasts like
 that4 ,in association with animals of  

the feline species1 there is an ever    
present element of danger1 no matter how
 well trained they may be4 ,every time a
 trainer turns his back in a cage he    
risks his life3 not a great risk1 to be 
sure1 but there is always a chance of   
death in a stroke4 ,yet it is impossible
 to keep the eye on half a dozen animals
 at once1 let alone twenty-seven1 and   
the man must trust to the good temper of
 his subjects and his own control and   
good fortune4  ,many animals--this is   
true especially of lions--leap at the   
bars of a cage in a frenzy of rage the  
moment a trainer leaves them1 as though 
furious that they had let him out alive1
 yet the next time he enters they are   
none the less completely under his      
dominion4 ,so excellent is the effect of
 this fury on the thrill-demanding      
public1 that some lions have been       
trained to do this very trick4 ,but it  
is an extremely dangerous one1 and one  
which no sensible trainer would dream of
 teaching his animals4     ,,chapter    

,,xii  ,,the ,,animal ,,trainer--,,some 
,,famous ,,trainers   ,to secure the    
right man for the training of wild      
animals is about the most serious       
problem that the proprietor of an animal
 exhibition has to solve2 very often the
 problem remains unsolved4  ,an animal  
trainer is a complex and unique person  
in more ways than one4 ,he is not always
 superlatively endowed with the         
characteristics that are attributed to  
him by most casual observers4 ,curiously
 enough1 the very element that would    
seem the most essential is scarcely ever
 reckoned as his chief virtue4 ,courage 
is considered by those who know little  
about it as one of the first requisites1
 but a man may have physical and moral  
courage to an unusual degree and still  
be quite unfit for a trainer4  ,the     
animal trainer may have1 and all do have
 to some extent1 the physical courage   
which is admired1 but it is an          
unconscious courage1 and plays such a   
minor part in a successful performance1 

that the possession of it is not noted1 
either by the trainer himself1 or by    
those who know him4 ,there are faculties
 far higher and far more difficult of   
cultivation1 as well as more rarely     
possessed1 which the animal trainer must
 have4  ,first of all are good personal 
habits4 ,the finest lion-trainers are   
men of the most absolute personal       
integrity1 who smoke and drink very     
little1 if at all1 and who possess      
self-control to an unusual degree4 ,it  
is a fact very little known and somewhat
 difficult to realize by those who have 
not studied the matter1 that in some    
curious1 incomprehensible way1 wild     
animals know instinctively whether men  
are addicted to bad habits4 ,it is one  
of the many problems which are beyond   
the human understanding4 ,for those who 
are the least bit inclined to drink1 or 
live a loose life1 the wild animal has  
neither fear nor respect4  ,he despises 
them with all the contempt of his animal
 nature1 and recognizes neither their   

authority nor superiority4 ,just as men 
recognize superior minds and strong     
personalities in other men1 so does the 
wild animal recognize such qualities1   
and it is wonderful how extremely       
susceptible animals are to graceful1    
refined1 and pleasing personalities4    
,the personality of an animal trainer is
 one that counts both with the animals  
and with the audience1 and the more     
magnetic1 polished1 and accomplished he 
is1 the greater will be his success and 
the stronger will be his influence1 both
 with the animals with which he comes in
 contact and with the public which      
observes him4 ,but if a man has begun to
 take just a little1 or has deviated    
somewhat from the straight road1 the    
animals will discover it long before his
 fellow-men4  ,from that moment the     
trainer's life is in danger every time  
he enters the cage1 and the animals keep
 a keen lookout for the moment when he  
will either trip a little1--always the  
signal for animals to spring1--lose his 

nerve1 or let his thoughts go wandering 
off to other matters1 even for a moment 
or two4 ,the least carelessness1 the    
least indifference1 even a little       
unusual movement on his part1 is quite  
enough to make the animals spring upon  
him and get him down4  ,illustration3   
,,herman ,,weedon ,,defying ,,his       
,,fiercest ,,lion  ,occasionally a      
trainer who is beginning to take to     
drink or other bad habits realizes that 
he will soon lose the respect and       
control of his animals1 and is wise     
enough to drop the training business    
before too late4 ,but1 as a rule1 once a
 man has taken up this profession he is 
extremely loath to resign1 although he  
may be perfectly well aware that he     
endangers his life every moment he      
trusts himself among the animals4 ,there
 is a peculiar fascination about the    
life which keeps him at it2 and although
 ,i have often warned men1 they have    
rarely been induced to give it up until 
some severe accident has happened which 

has either disabled them1 or given them 
such a shock that they lost their nerve 
entirely4  ,one of the finest           
lion-trainers that ,america ever had has
 now voluntarily retired1 though still  
in the prime of life2 but he is addicted
 to drink1 realized the danger1 and so  
was sensible enough to give it up before
 too late4 ,he felt it was absolutely   
unsafe for him to enter the arena night 
after night1 when no matter how little  
he drank had a numbing effect upon him4 
,the climax came one night when1 feeling
 a little more numb than usual1 he      
suddenly noticed in the midst of the    
performance that his lions were all     
looking at him curiously4 ,instantly he 
knew that they had lost their respect   
for him1 for all trainers can tell1     
before anything happens1 when the moment
 has come in which they are likely to   
lose their dominance1 if that loss      
comes1 not through accident1 but through
 the paralysis of their own power4 ,he  
realized at once the pitiful state he   

was drifting into1 and the danger1 and  
was wise and quick enough to get out    
before they got him4  ,but that was the 
last time he ever entered the cage4     
,from being tractable and docile1 the   
lions from that time had nothing but    
hatred and contempt for him1 and his    
approach even near their cages was      
always the signal for savage snarls and 
vicious leaps at the bars4  ,another    
essential in animal training is         
patience4 ,it must be an ingrained      
attribute of the character1 and dominant
 at all times--a constant1 persistent1  
unwearying patience4 ,without it the    
trainer will never make a complete      
success4 ,allied with patience must be  
good judgment1 and one who is patient   
generally has good judgment4 ,this is   
one of the reasons that1 as a rule1     
,englishmen and ,germans1 being more    
phlegmatic1 make excellent animal       
trainers4  ,trainers whose patience is  
limited never last long4 ,there comes a 
day when1 through hasty temper or a     

sudden loss of patience1 the trainer    
says or does some foolish thing1 which  
he always has reason to regret1 and     
bitterly1 too4  ,in one case1 one of the
 animals would not respond to his cue1  
in spite of being spoken to several     
times4 ,the trainer kept his patience   
for some time1 but the fact that the    
audience was getting restless made him  
nervous1 and in a foolish moment he     
shouted at the lion4 ,the shout was so  
unusual and so unexpected that every    
lion in the cage started1 and the next  
moment there was a scene of the wildest 
confusion4  ,the animals roared1 jumped 
from their pedestals1 and soon pinned   
the man to the floor4 ,by a supreme     
effort he raised himself1 and being near
 the door1 the attendants were able to  
keep the lions back by firing blank     
cartridges until he could get out4 ,but 
he was terribly mauled1 and it was a    
long and tedious illness which followed4
 ,to show what a disturbing effect that 
shout had on the lions1 it was hours    

before they could be quieted1 and even  
when they were fed1 two hours afterward1
 they were still restless and excited1  
and left their meat every few minutes to
 roar and growl4  ,that was the last    
time the trainer ever entered the cage4 
,he lost his nerve completely4 ,unless a
 man has absolute self-control1 he can  
never be sure of what may happen to him 
as a lion-trainer4 ,this trainer's      
sudden loss of patience proved that he  
was unable to control his feelings1 in  
itself a weakness1 and animals recognize
 all weaknesses immediately4            
,illustration3 ,,captain ,,jack         
,,bonavita  ,among other things1        
physical agility is a prime requisite4  
,it is better if it is the agility of   
reserve rather than the agility of      
aggression1 for aggression arouses a    
like quality in the animal1 and develops
 an appreciation of his brute strength1 
which sooner or later may be used       
against the trainer4 ,but the equipoise 
and power existing only in those of good

 personal habits and judgment give an   
animal trainer the needed ability to    
escape an otherwise unavoidable danger4 
,another quality is nerve--and plenty of
 it4 ,without nerve no man can do       
anything with a wild animal2 it is the  
secret of the animal trainer's success1 
while ceaseless vigilance means the     
safety of his life4 ,a man may be       
nervous and yet have plenty of nerve4 ,i
 have known trainers who would start at 
the slightest noise or a sudden sound1  
and who would rather walk ten miles out 
of their way than meet a stranger1 or   
attract attention in any way2 and yet in
 times of danger1 when their lives hung 
in the balance1 would exhibit the utmost
 nerve and daring1 mixed with a calm    
assurance that was astonishing4  ,these 
personal qualities are more or less     
apparent to all close observers of      
animal training1 but there is one which 
is even more essential than any of the  
others1 and for which the trainer seldom
 gets credit1 yet it is one which places

 his profession on a par with that of   
the school-teacher1 the preacher1 the   
writer1 or any of the students of men1  
because the study is more difficult and 
more complex4  ,this is a knowledge of  
animal nature1 as diversified and       
peculiar1 and as subject to varying     
conditions and environment1 as human    
nature4 ,some may say that it is not as 
complex as human nature1 because it is  
not as highly organized1 but it         
furnishes the same food for thought1    
with the added element that upon the    
trainer's knowledge of the              
idiosyncrasies of his charges depends   
his success1 and very often his life4   
,constant vigilance1 not only in the    
arena1 but out of it1 is the trainer's  
watchword4 ,consequently1 trainers are a
 hard-working lot2 for it is not only   
the actual public performances which    
take up their time4 ,it is necessary to 
have constant rehearsals1 constant      
lessons to the animals about various    
things2 for it is never wise to try to  

correct or teach much during a          
performance1 and there is always much to
 learn and study4 ,many animals drop off
 in time1 either by sickness or from    
some other causes1 and new animals have 
to be trained to take their place3 this 
is always done privately1 and few ever  
realize the amount of time and trouble  
that an animal will sometimes require   
before he is perfected in one little    
act4  ,the ideal animal trainer is a man
 of superb physique4 ,his eyes are      
clear1 his muscles hard and sinewy1 his 
limbs well grown1 his body well         
developed1 and his clean1 healthy skin  
shows the warm blood circulating        
beneath4 ,he is without blemish         
physically1 and his mental capabilities 
are good4 ,he knows men as well as      
animals4 ,he makes a versatile          
application of that knowledge2 he knows 
the traits1 the history1 and the        
tendencies of those animals which form  
his life study1 and on the constant use 
of that knowledge depends his dominance4

  ,i have always been particularly      
fortunate in my trainers4 ,from the time
 when ,i assumed control of the business
 in #ahha1 it has been my good fortune  
to have intelligent men1 who take an    
interest in and love their profession1  
and who love their animals and charges4 
,edward ,deyerling1 chief animal trainer
 at the ,chicago ,exposition in #ahic1  
received his tuition under me in        
,england in the eighties4  ,his         
persistency in practice was remarkable1 
and while his methods with his animals  
gained their entire confidence in him1  
the unearthly hours which he devoted to 
their education would have told on the  
vitality of many men of stronger        
constitution than his4 ,the success he  
attained was more than well deserved4   
,he was a humane trainer and possessed  
those good qualities so essential for   
success in the art of animal            
subjugation4  ,he was not killed1 as is 
generally believed1 but died a natural  
death several years ago4  ,the wild     

animal performances of #ahic were small 
affairs compared with the exhibitions of
 to-day1 but his performance with five  
male lions gave the ,world's ,fair      
visitors much to talk about1 and secured
 for him a great reputation in this     
country1 and ,i am naturally proud that 
he began his career in one of my        
establishments4  ,but ,i am prouder     
still of a lion-trainer who is with me  
now1 ,captain ,jack ,bonavita1 who has  
trained no less than twenty-seven grown 
lions to perform in the arena at the    
same time4 ,that this has been the work 
of years it is hardly necessary to      
state2 but the patience1 courage1       
judgment1 and terrible nerve-strain     
necessary to reach this climax no one   
can ever realize except those who have  
watched him carefully week after week1  
month after month1 and year after year4 
,there were times when it seemed as     
though he would certainly have to       
abandon his task2 there was so much to  
contend with1 so many difficulties to   

face and overcome1 and such bitter      
disappointments4 ,but ,bonavita is a man
 of iron will1 and when once he has made
 up his mind to do a thing1 he never    
rests until he has accomplished it      
thoroughly4  ,when he first made his    
appearance at the ,pan-,american        
,exhibition in #aija1 his entrance with 
the twenty-seven lions was so impressive
 that for a few seconds after the first 
flare of the band the silence was       
intense4 ,few will forget that incident4
 ,the gates at the back of the arena    
opened1 and slowly and majestically out 
walked twenty-seven kings of the forest1
 and at the unspoken order of one       
man1--for he never speaks to them when  
performing1--each one took his special  
place on a certain pedestal1 and went   
through all the various evolutions and  
acts in which he had been so carefully  
trained4 ,the sight of this one man     
moving quietly about among all the lions
 made a deep impression upon many       
people4  ,president ,roosevelt remarked1

 after witnessing his performance1 that 
he had never seen or heard of anything  
like it1 and that he admired the man's  
pluck1 for he was a hero4 ,general      
,miles wrote from the ,war ,office1 and 
said3  8,i was particularly impressed   
with ,bonavita and his monster grouping 
of twenty-seven lions4 ,such control of 
these noble creatures as was shown is   
truly remarkable40  ,the first          
impression one gets of ,captain         
,bonavita is that of a refined and      
courteous gentleman4 ,he is peculiarly  
reserved1 and it is with the greatest   
reluctance that he can ever be induced  
to talk about himself1 but he is never  
tired of talking about his lions4  ,he  
is of an extremely sensitive1 highly    
strung nature1 and although many feel   
that his nerves must be of steel1 there 
are times when the terrible strain is   
more than unusually severe1 and he      
retires to his own quarters completely  
played out4 ,for it is absurd to think  
that a man who does such a risky thing  

as he does is never nervous4 ,he        
realizes his danger as much as any one1 
and he has had cause to do so many      
times4  ,his chief comforts seem to be  
his cat and dog4 ,the dog1 a magnificent
 ,great ,dane named ,pluto1 is devoted  
to his master1 and after a specially    
trying time1 when he seems quite unable 
to speak to any one else1 the master    
talks to him4 ,the cat1 named ,tramp1   
has no pedigree whatever1 and is as     
commonplace-looking an animal as can be 
found in any back yard4 ,but ,captain   
,bonavita is almost as devoted to him as
 to the dog1 and when the cat sits on   
the dog's back the man who can control  
twenty-seven lions is perfectly         
satisfied4  ,i have spoken of some of   
his accidents in other chapters4 ,in all
 ,captain ,bonavita has had over fifty  
bad ones1 but these have not prevented  
his going among the lions again at the  
very first opportunity4 ,to use his own 
words3 8,a man does not refuse to go    
into battle because he has been hurt40  

,another trainer who has become famous  
through her daring and wonderful control
 of the most treacherous of wild beasts 
is ,mme4 ,louise ,morelli4 ,she is a    
,frenchwoman1 and talks to her jaguars1 
leopards1 and panthers in ,french1 which
 they appear to understand quite as well
 as any other language1 as it is not so 
much what is said as the tone of voice  
in which the words are spoken4          
,illustration3 ,,madame ,,morelli ,,and 
,,her ,,jaguars1 ,,panthers1 ,,and      
,,leopards  ,mme4 ,morelli is a small   
woman and rather frail1 but her nerve   
and quiet self-possession are truly     
wonderful4 ,leopards1 panthers1 and     
jaguars are noted for their stealthy1   
sly ways1 and their deceit and          
treachery4 ,they are most difficult to  
train and subdue1 and can never be      
relied upon4 ,these cringing big cats   
are the most alert fiends by nature2    
they have none of the nobility of the   
lion1 none of the aloofness of the      
tiger4 ,they are cowardly and sly1 and  

are always watching an opportunity to   
spring on the trainer's back on the     
slightest provocation1 so that the      
training of them is more perilous than  
work with any other animals4 ,and yet   
this small woman goes into the arena    
with five of them1 makes them go through
 various acts and manuvers1 and finally 
sits down among them and allows one or  
two of them to lick her hands1 and even 
to take them in their treacherous       
mouths4  ,this is dangerous enough1 but 
the most dangerous trick of all is when 
she allows one of her jaguars1          
,cartouche1 to place the weight of his  
prostrate body on a stick held          
horizontally in her hands and over her  
face1 while she looks up into his       
glaring eyes4  ,herman ,weedon is noted 
for his mixed groups1 of which ,i have  
already spoken4 ,he has unlimited       
courage and daring1 and is a splendid   
trainer1 but runs a terrible risk in    
dealing with ,goldie1 who is one of the 
fiercest and most dangerous tigresses4  

,time after time he has been terribly   
torn and lacerated by this animal1 and  
time after time he has been warned to   
give up all attempts at training her and
 leave her out of the group altogether4 
,but one might as well ask a mountain to
 move as to ask ,weedon to give up      
,goldie4 ,in spite of her treachery and 
vindictiveness1 he is truly fond of her4
 ,he will take the trouble to explain   
over and over again that it is only     
occasionally that she has these wicked  
fits1 that often she is most gentle and 
affectionate1 and that she has such a   
beautiful head and body that it would   
completely spoil his group to leave her 
out4  ,and although all he has ever been
 able to make her do is to sit on a     
pedestal and ladder and allow him to    
open her mouth1 he persists in trying1  
with wonderful and unlimited patience1  
to subdue that terrible1 passionate     
nature of hers1 and induce her to be a  
little more tractable4 ,he is afraid of 
nothing1 and trouble and opposition only

 make him more determined to overcome   
obstacles and attain his object4  ,a    
wonderful proof of training is the      
man-ape1 or chimpanzee1 ,consul4 ,this  
animal eats and drinks like a human     
being1 plays the piano1 uses a          
typewriter1 and behaves in such a       
wonderfully human way that one begins to
 wonder whether ,darwin's theory is not 
right1 after all4  ,charles ,day is one 
of the oldest trainers in the           
exhibition1 and has been in the ,bostock
 family for thirty years4 ,the          
fascination of this life is well shown  
in his case4 ,at one time he was also a 
trainer of lions1 but now contents      
himself with showing visitors round and 
explaining the various zoological       
specimens4 ,he has had more unique      
experiences than any man ,i know1 and   
tells them in a very dramatic and       
amusing manner4     ,,chapter ,,xiii    
,,accidents   ,every man or woman who   
trains animals has what are termed      
8accidents40 ,animals differ in         

temperament1 mood1 and nature as human  
beings do1 and the trainer learns to    
read the intent of each in his eye1 in  
the motions of his tail1 in his walk and
 movement4  ,animals are erratic and    
uncertain at times1 and one can never   
tell just what the animal will do4 ,he  
may have done the same things a great   
number of times easily and willingly1   
and yet may1 without any warning1       
suddenly refuse to do anything further4 
,he comes out with a plain1 blunt       
refusal1 without any apologies1 either  
in voice or manner1 and he usually makes
 it pretty clear that he means what he  
says4 ,he has grown rebellious2 his     
sense of wrongs1 his hate1 and his      
desire for revenge appear to have       
culminated suddenly1 and his only wish  
is to get even with those who have been 
making him do things which made him look
 ridiculous4  ,in a case like this there
 is generally an accident1 and if the   
trainer is not alert and self-possessed 
he is apt to lose his life4 ,again1 an  

animal may lose his temper suddenly1 and
 in one of those swift rages or frenzies
 into which all wild animals are liable 
to fall at any time try to kill his     
trainer1 and a few moments afterward    
crawl back and show his repentance4 ,it 
is most unwise to punish an animal when 
this happens4 ,he will probably do the  
same thing again1 and may succeed in    
killing his trainer the next time1 but  
to punish him when he is repentant would
 only make him vindictive and           
revengeful1 and wild animals do not     
forget easily4  ,of course1 no animal is
 ever to be trusted until he is dead2   
but if the trainer is in a cage and gets
 cornered1 experience teaches him what  
to do4 ,he learns to think and act      
quickly1 to retain a natural sobriety   
and coolness1 never to lose his temper  
with a wild beast1 and to make him obey 
every time1 at all costs4 ,it is never  
the physical force of the trainer that  
conquers2 that is impossible4 ,it is his
 coolness1 determination1 and untiring  

patience4  ,more minor injuries are     
received in training1 without any evil  
intent on the part of the animal1 than  
in any other way4 ,the lion1 for        
instance1 is always clumsy1 and is at   
any time likely to misplace a paw armed 
with claws that could not be more       
effective if they were fashioned from so
 much steel4 ,if that paw passes along  
the body of the trainer1 the unlucky man
 goes to the hospital1 where he may be  
laid up for six or seven weeks4  ,such  
an accident happened to ,mme4 ,pianka   
one night at ,buffalo4 ,an admirer had  
sent her a bouquet of red roses1 and in 
place of her heavy riding-whip she      
carried it into the arena for her       
performance with the lions4 ,it is a    
fallacy to suppose that any change in   
the dress of the trainer will make a    
difference with the animal4 ,all trained
 animals know their trainers1 and even  
should another man come in dressed in   
the same clothes as their own trainer1  
they would recognize the difference     

instantly4 ,but all animals will jump   
for meat1 no matter where that meat may 
be4  ,there can be no doubt whatever    
that in this instance the lions at the  
first glance mistook the bunch of red   
roses for red meat4 ,one lion had not   
yet reached his pedestal when ,mme4     
,pianka entered1 or possibly he might   
not have sprung4 ,but1 being on the     
floor of the arena1 the moment he caught
 sight of the red mass in her hand he   
sprang forward1 and in the wide sweep of
 his paw to get the supposed meat1      
struck the trainer's cheek1 and the     
blow1 glancing to her arm and chest1    
tore her flesh and dress4  ,instantly   
,mme4 ,pianka tossed the flowers from   
her1 and she was only just in time1 for 
every one of the lions pounced upon     
them1 sniffed and smelled them with     
evident surprise and disgust1 found they
 were not what they had expected1 and in
 their usual slow1 deliberate manner    
remounted their pedestals and waited    
passively for their act4 ,mme4 ,pianka1 

who is an extremely plucky woman and    
possesses great nerve and               
self-possession1 put them through their 
usual performance1 although her face1   
neck1 and arms were bleeding profusely1 
and then1 as she left the arena1        
fainted4  ,again1 what begins by        
accident may be quickly turned to       
murderous account by the animals4 ,the  
most perilous thing a man can do is to  
lose his footing1 for it is more than   
likely1 the moment he falls1 the animal 
will spring upon him4 ,an ,english      
trainer was almost torn to pieces once  
because of a pair of heavy top-boots he 
wore4  ,one of his tigers slipped1 and  
in trying to save himself got one of his
 claws entangled in the trainer's leg4  
,it was a purely accidental blow1 and   
the tiger1 alarmed1 tried to get away1  
but the keen claws had penetrated       
through the stiff leather1 and in       
endeavoring to extricate them the animal
 threw his master down4 ,quick as a     
flash the two other tigers in the cage  

were on the prostrate trainer1 and but  
for the prompt action of an assistant   
who pluckily sprang into the cage and   
beat them back1 the trainer would never 
have come out alive4 ,it is a vital     
article in the code of every trainer    
never to lose his temper in a case of   
this kind or to punish the innocent     
cause of it4 ,often the animals         
themselves are as much frightened as the
 trainer1 and their only resource when  
frightened is to fight1 and to fight    
with all their inherent fierceness and  
strength4  ,illustration3 8,,consul10   
,,the ,,chimpanzee  ,therefore1 to      
punish an animal for what is perfectly  
natural to him would not only be the    
height of absurdity1 but most unwise and
 dangerous4 ,wild animals can never be  
punished by chastisement2 a few harsh   
words are generally sufficient1 and even
 then there is the danger that it may be
 too much4 ,anger the animal or irritate
 him1 and he is likely to seek revenge  
with a prompt spring or a sweeping blow4

  ,the apparent lashes given with the   
whip during performances are mere       
pretenses1 part of the daily program1   
and known to the animals as such4 ,true1
 these supposed lashings call forth     
growls and snarls1 but this is because  
the animal knows it is a signal for him 
to do something1 and he does not often  
feel inclined to do it4 ,he generally   
does it1 but he always protests a little
 if he can1 and growls and snarls form  
his speech4  ,expert1 indeed1 must be   
the trainer1 for if one of these light  
blows should go wrong and land on some  
part of the animal's body where it would
 hurt1 there might well be an attack2   
almost certainly there would be a fit of
 sulks on the part of the animal struck 
while doing his best that would not only
 put an end to any further effort on his
 part for that day1 but even mean       
lifelong resentment and hatred1 which   
would simply wait for a favorable       
opportunity for injuring the trainer who
 had given the blow4  ,to illustrate    

this4 ,a trainer was one day exercising 
his animals1 and in using the whip      
accidentally caught a lion on the tip of
 his nose4 ,for a moment the animal     
paused1 as though too surprised to do   
anything else2 then he rubbed his nose  
reflectively1 as though still trying to 
solve the problem4 ,the trainer1 who had
 at first grown rigid with fear of what 
might follow1 kept a careful eye on the 
lion2 but as he appeared quiet and only 
puzzled1 and as the trainer concluded   
the blow could have hurt him only       
slightly1 he thought that was the end of
 it4  ,the animals were driven back to  
their cages1 and nothing happened to    
show that the injured lion remembered it
 in any way4 ,but that same evening1    
when the time came for the performance1 
and the trainer flicked his whip toward 
the lion whom he had accidentally       
struck1 the animal1 instead of taking it
 as his cue1 promptly roused himself1   
gathered himself together1 and in       
another moment had sprung full at the   

trainer4  ,fortunately1 the trainer had 
noticed the dangerous symptoms1--for a  
lion generally gives a little warning   
before he springs1 a tiger never1--and  
had leaped aside with such agility that 
the lion landed a little to the right1  
and this time received a stinging blow  
which sent him back for a moment1 giving
 the trainer just time to escape4  ,but 
from that time it was found absolutely  
impossible to make that lion perform4   
,he would go into the arena1 and would  
even mount his pedestal1 but at the very
 first flick or lash of the whip in his 
direction he would prepare to spring4   
,therefore1 through a very slight       
accident1--a little blow which one would
 think such a big brute would not       
mind1--we lost one of our best          
performers4  ,some very serious         
accidents have also occurred from the   
playfulness of animals4 ,a playful      
animal is always dangerous2 he may be in
 the best of moods and tempers1 and     
simply wish to have a romp1 but his     

strength and power are too overwhelming 
for a man to have anything to do with   
him4 ,the wisest course to pursue with  
an animal in a playful mood is to get   
out of his way and leave him alone4     
,this is easy enough at rehearsal1 but  
in the performance it is another matter4
 ,the animal must be put through his    
paces day after day1 or he will expect  
to take it easy all the time4 ,a good   
trainer will always try1 when possible1 
to let the animal have his play out     
before urging him to perform2 but       
sometimes this play will go on until the
 audience becomes impatient1 and then   
comes the risk to the trainer4 ,the     
animal is comfortable and enjoying      
himself1 and to be forced to get up on a
 pedestal and do other things in the    
middle of it must naturally be          
irritating and annoying1 and the animal 
generally vents this annoyance and      
irritability on the one who forces him  
to act4 ,in some cases he will not be   
forced1 and then more trouble still     

arises for the trainer4  ,illustration3 
,,captain ,,bonavita ,,carrying ,a      
,,lion ,,weighing ,,five ,,hundred      
,,pounds  ,i was once working with a    
group of lions at ,indianapolis1 when an
 incident occurred which will show how  
one small playful action on the part of 
a wild animal may sometimes lead to     
serious results4 ,i was in the          
training-school when ,young ,wallace1   
one of my fiercest lions1 but for whom  
,i had a great affection1 which1 in a   
way1 he appeared to return1 jumped from 
his pedestal for a piece of meat which  
,i had thrown on the floor4 ,while      
eating the meat1 ,i stood watching him1 
and thoughtlessly tapping the leather   
leg of my training-boot with my whip4   
,wallace had been accustomed to playing 
with the whip1 and to feel the gentle   
stroking of it down the muscles of his  
back4 ,one of the tricks which he had   
been taught was to ask for the stroking 
by reaching for the whip with his paw   
when it was held suspended over him4 ,a 

lion's paw is no plaything4 ,a cat's    
paw1 with its sharp1 incisive claws     
hidden in the velvet1 is sometimes a    
fierce and effective weapon4 ,imagine a 
cat's paw enlarged twenty times1        
propelled with a proportionate increase 
of muscular energy1 and with the same   
lightning-like rapidity1 and you can    
gather some little idea of what a lion's
 paw means when it strikes4  ,in this   
instance1 ,wallace struck at me merely  
in play and with little of the strength 
that he would have displayed in a wilful
 attack4 ,the stroke was a part of the  
trick he was used to1 and he made it    
with good animal intention1 but it was  
none the less direful4 ,the claws       
fastened deep into the fleshy part of my
 leg1 through boot and underclothing1   
and there stuck4 ,a lion's claws would  
not be nearly so dangerous were they    
sharp and straight2 but they have a     
sharp curve1 and go in like a cant-hook1
 penetrating the flesh at an acute      
angle4 ,the lion has not the sense to   

draw them out1 as they went in1 by the  
curving process1 but pulls them straight
 out4  ,wallace found his claws in      
farther than he intended1 and1 slightly 
frightened1 promptly drew them out1 not 
backward but forward4 ,needless to say1 
with them came a good-sized piece of    
flesh1 which caused me excruciating     
pain4  ,painful as it was1 ,i did not   
move1 knowing as ,i did that to show any
 signs of fear or trepidation would     
cause alarm1 and1 probably1 not only be 
the spoiling of the lion1 but the signal
 for an attack4 ,but when a second or   
two had elapsed1 and ,wallace had       
returned to eating his meat1 ,i at once 
ordered the animals back to their cages1
 and in this way ,wallace1 picking up   
the remains of his meat and taking them 
with him1 was soon in his cage again1   
without having been given time or       
opportunity to realize that he had hurt 
his trainer or drawn blood--two things  
which always have bad effects on        
animals4  ,a great many accidents occur1

 and always will occur1 either through  
carelessness or through mistakes on the 
part of those in attendance on the      
animals4 ,it is not only the trainers   
who suffer from the claws and teeth of  
the animals3 there are numerous other   
men and boys in an exhibition who are   
constantly running into danger1 very    
often when there is not the slightest   
occasion for their doing so4  ,the      
duties of these attendants are numerous4
 ,besides helping to keep the animals   
and cages clean1 they have to attend to 
watering the animals1 see that no bones 
or other small articles are in the      
cages1--for the smallest object1 no     
matter how worthless1 may be the means  
of leading two animals to quarrel for   
its possession1--and do a hundred and   
one other things which crop up from day 
to day4  ,many of these attendants also 
help the trainers1 which is almost as   
dangerous as the duties of the trainer  
himself4 ,properties and other things   
have to be passed in to the trainer     

during the rehearsals and performances1 
doors and gates have to be opened and   
fastened after them1 and there is always
 the possibility that an animal may turn
 and spring on the attendant1 although  
with trained animals this rarely        
happens4 ,it is nothing for a man to    
close a door1 but if an animal springs  
back at it1 it would require more than  
the strength of six to do so4  ,an      
attendant was holding the door open1    
after a performance1 for some bears to  
return to their cages4 ,all but one     
bear--a big ,kadiak--had gone quietly   
in1 when1 without the least warning1 the
 bear turned1 inserted his claws round  
the edge of the door1 tearing it out of 
the hands of the attendant1 and in a    
second had him down4 ,in spite of the   
promptest assistance given by ,mr4      
,stevenson1 who risked his life in so   
doing1 the man's arm was terribly torn1 
and it was months before he was able to 
leave the hospital4 ,to this day his arm
 has remained stiff1 and he can only    

hold it in an unnatural way4  ,a        
terrible accident took place entirely   
through a mistake on the part of an     
employee4 ,albert ,neilson by name and a
 good1 hard-working young fellow1 and a 
great favorite with the show1 nicknamed 
8,curly10 was sent one morning with some
 food in a basket to feed some young    
lion cubs4 ,the cubs were in a cage next
 to ,rajah1 the big tiger4 ,all the     
employees had been repeatedly warned    
about taking care in going anywhere near
 this tiger--a special little trick of  
his being to feign sleep and then       
suddenly throw out a paw with claws     
extended4  ,whether 8,curly0 was        
careless and mistook the cage will never
 be known1 but the other attendants were
 appalled by terrible screams issuing   
from ,rajah's cage1 and on rushing      
forward saw to their horror that the man
 was being held in the tiger's mouth by 
his head4 ,the details are too terrible 
to go into1 but here again ,mr4         
,stevenson1 who has earned for himself  

the name of the ,guardian ,angel of the 
,show1 rushed into the cage1 and1 at the
 peril of his life1 did his best with   
iron bars to force the tiger to let go4 
,but nothing would induce the beast to  
relax his hold1 and in the midst of his 
growling the man was calling piteously  
for help4 ,after this1 pistols were     
fired at him2 but1 when warned to come  
out1 ,sam ,stevenson would not leave the
 man1 although he was surrounded by     
bullets1 each one of which was likely to
 strike him at any moment4 ,rajah was   
hit once or twice1 but he only let go   
his hold on the man's head to take a    
firmer one round his waist4  ,neilson   
was eventually drawn out1 but he died   
soon afterward1 to the deep grief of all
 in the show4 ,most trainers are        
superstitious1 and great attention was  
drawn at the time to the fact of the    
number thirteen playing so prominent a  
part in the boy's history4 ,he was born 
on the thirteenth1 had thirteen letters 
in his name1 and so forth4  ,it is1     

perhaps1 the living in this perpetual   
state or atmosphere of danger which     
causes indifference and1 in some cases1 
neglect on the part of the attendants4  
,each man and boy knows perfectly well  
that he is daily exposed to bites and   
scratches1 and1 perhaps1 fearful        
mutilation2 for all this is carefully   
impressed on every newcomer1--sometimes 
so much so that they depart with a      
shiver1 which proves them totally       
unsuitable4 ,the treachery of the       
animals is almost daily demonstrated in 
some way or another2 the attendants are 
often witnesses of what terrible things 
wild animals can do1 and yet ,i have    
seen them pass close to the cages1 or   
stand indifferently by them1 when every 
moment they were risking the loss of a  
limb1 and1 perhaps1 their lives4  ,i am 
always afraid of accidents with an      
extremely quiet man1--a man1 that is1   
who never speaks to or appears to take  
any notice of the animals4 ,all wild    
animals are very sensitive1 and seem to 

know instinctively when people are      
interested in them4 ,a friendly word or 
a little interest goes a long way with  
them4 ,captain ,bonavita1 for instance1 
never speaks to his lions when          
performing1 but he loves his animals and
 takes the greatest interest in them1   
and when in their cages talks to each   
one by name4  ,whenever ,i notice an    
attendant who evidently takes no        
interest whatever in the animals1 ,i    
invariably get rid of him4 ,he may be in
 the show for some time1 but one of     
these days the animals will get him2 so1
 to prevent a bad 8accident10 ,i        
consider it wise to let him go4         
,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,sam ,,stevenson  
,whose bravery in saving lives has      
earned for him the sobriquet of 8,the   
,guardian ,angel0  ,a very small error  
is often the cause of a serious         
accident1 and this ,i experienced myself
 at one time with ,rajah1 the tiger who 
killed ,albert ,neilson4 ,i had been    
putting this animal through his         

rehearsal one day1 and was returning    
through the runway to shut him in his   
cage4 ,by an error on the part of an    
attendant1 the door was not shut as it  
should have been1 and ,rajah had an     
opportunity to jump on my defenseless   
back4 ,it was an opportunity he did not 
hesitate to seize immediately4 ,the     
indiscretion of this attendant nearly   
cost me my life4 ,rajah got his fangs   
inside the head-protector ,i wore1 and  
his claws into my body4 ,after the first
 terrible sensation of tearing1 ,i      
remember nothing more1 for ,i became    
unconscious1 and1 in addition to other  
injuries1 had concussion of the brain   
afterward4  ,a similar accident happened
 to ,captain ,bonavita4 ,he was putting 
his lions back1 when one door1 which had
 not been properly fastened1 was pushed 
open by one of the lions1 who sprang    
upon the trainer and nearly killed him4 
,another time1 when ,bonavita was in the
 runway behind the cages exercising his 
lions1 the electric lights suddenly went

 out4 ,this was a fearful predicament4  
,owing to the hubbub which immediately  
ensued in the building1 it was          
impossible to make any one hear1 and    
even had he done so1 it would have taken
 a very brave man to go into a dark     
runway with several lions4  ,as it was1 
,captain ,bonavita did the best he      
could4 ,he kept swinging about him the  
heavy club he had in his hand4 ,he could
 hear one of the lions coming toward him
 in the dark and breathing heavily4 ,he 
knew only too well that the momentary   
pause was the signal either for creeping
 nearer to him or for a spring4 ,as long
 as he was able to keep the club        
swinging he knew the lion was at a      
certain distance1 but in an instant it  
came in contact with something soft1 and
 as this was followed by a fierce growl1
 the trainer knew he had probably struck
 the lion on the nose just as he was    
creeping close up to him4  ,his arms    
were beginning to ache terribly1 and he 
realized that he would be unable to keep

 it up much longer1 but when he struck  
the soft substance a second time1 and   
knew that the lion had again crept      
closer1 he determined to sell his life  
dearly1 and kept up the swinging        
movements1 although he was beginning to 
get faint and dizzy from the exertion4  
,as long as he could keep this going he 
was comparatively safe1 but there was   
always the danger that1 instead of      
creeping nearer1 the lion might spring1 
and in that case nothing could save him4
  ,just as he was about to give up and  
take the consequences1 the lights       
suddenly came on again1 and disclosed   
the lion in the very act of preparing   
for a spring4 ,the sudden glare of the  
light1 however1 and the appearance of   
the trainer standing there with his     
club1 appeared to confuse him2 and when 
,bonavita1 with a supreme effort1       
ordered him back1 he turned round and   
went submissively into his cage4 ,the   
trainer walked to the end of the runway1
 where he was found by the attendants   

soon afterward in a state of collapse   
from exhaustion4  ,it takes so little to
 turn a trivial incident into a serious 
matter1 that the greatest care is always
 necessary4 ,in moving round the arena  
at one performance1 ,mme4 ,morelli in   
some way touched one of the leopards    
with the lace of her dress4 ,this was   
before they had all mounted to their    
pedestals4 ,the lace of the dress caught
 him in the eye1 and in an instant the  
leopard sprang1 and had she not been so 
fortunate as to catch him with her whip 
as she sprang aside1 there would        
probably have been a very serious       
accident4 ,the spring of a leopard is a 
serious thing2 it can bound ten or      
twelve feet in the air1 and although it 
is the lightest and most graceful jumper
 of all the wild animals1 it is also the
 strongest1 and it was only the agility 
and prompt action of ,mme4 ,morelli     
which saved her4  ,at another time1 a   
slight oversight on ,mme4 ,morelli's    
part resulted in a very serious         

accident4 ,she had concluded her        
performance1 and was leaving the arena1 
thinking all the leopards were in front 
of her1 when an attendant called out    
that one leopard was staying behind and 
creeping toward her4 ,quick as the      
attendant had been in warning her1 and  
quick as ,mme4 ,morelli was1 they were  
neither of them quick enough that time2 
for before she could turn round1 the    
leopard sprang1 and1 unfortunately1     
catching her just as she was in the act 
of turning1 landed on her neck and      
shoulders1 tearing them fearfully4      
,illustration3 ,,polar ,,bears ,,at     
,,play  ,in this instance it was        
,captain ,bonavita who rushed in and    
saved her1 beating the leopard back and 
keeping it at bay until ,mme4 ,morelli  
was safely out of the way1 and the      
animal could be sent back to its cage4  
,this was one of the most serious       
accidents she ever had1 and great       
persuasion was brought to bear on her   
afterward to give up that leopard1 but  

she would not hear of it4 ,she was ill  
for some time1 but as soon as she was   
able she re-entered the arena and made  
each leopard obey her as before4 ,it is 
always a matter of wonder to see        
leopards perform1 but to see four or    
five do so with one small woman is a    
marvelous sight1 and proves what can be 
done in the way of mastering even such  
treacherous and vindictive creatures as 
leopards and jaguars4  ,in taking up the
 business of an animal trainer1 a man1  
if he has the qualities of which ,i have
 already spoken1 runs no more desperate 
chances than thousands of other men who 
follow their various callings4 ,the     
physician risks his life daily from     
infectious diseases1 but beyond taking a
 few precautions1 such a thing as       
thinking of the danger never occurs to  
him4 ,the soldier knows he may be called
 to give up his life for his country in 
time of war1 but when face to face with 
the enemy1 he only nerves himself to    
think of his duty1 and not of the danger

 to himself4  ,there are hundreds of    
occupations1 such as mining1 building1  
tunneling1 and driving railway engines1 
where men also run daily risks1 and an  
animal trainer runs no more than any of 
these1 provided he is careful and       
cautious4 ,animal trainers are no       
different from other men4 ,they all have
 the same capacity for fear that every  
man has in time of great danger1 but    
they have schooled themselves1 by good  
habits and self-control1 to meet the    
danger calmly4           99      99     
99      99      99      99              
,transcriber's note3  ,transcriber      
removed a duplicate book title between  
the ,preface and ,chapter ,i4  ,cover   
created by transcriber and placed in the
 ,public ,domain4