48 



THE AET OF TRAINING ANIMALS. 



seated on his haunches before a table, while the clown obsequi- 

 ously serves him. A bell is attached to the table, so arranged 

 that the horse can ring it by pulling at a bit of rag, and as the 

 horse is almost continually ringing the bell, and the clown makes 



AN EQUESTRIAN EPICURE. 



apparently frantic efforts to answer this summons each time, 

 while bringing in plates, etc., a vast amount of laughter is 

 usually created. The same instructions which we have given 

 in previous pages relative to sitting down, firing off the pistol, 

 etc., will apply to this trick. It is usual, when the table is 

 finally set, for the clown to seat himself opposite the horse and 

 pretend to share his meal. As the food commonly consists of 

 hay pies, with brown paper crusts, the actual eating, we pre- 

 sume, is generally confined to the horse, but the fun is much 

 increased by the clown taking a huge mouthful of hay, as 

 though intensely hungry, and the horse then snatching it from 

 his mouth, and devcsiring it himself. This latter feat is a 

 mere modification of the kissmg trick, where he takes the piece 

 of apple from the trainer's mouth. 



TO TURN A HAND ORGAN. 



This feat may be easily accomplished by the application of the 

 plan already described, which we may term the ^' pistol princi- 

 ple." After the horse has learned to take hold readily of any- 

 thing offered to him, which knowledge he will have acquired if 

 he has already learned to perform the tricks heretofore men- 

 tioned, the only additional instruction necessary will be to 



