122 THE ART OF TRAINING ANIMALS. 



at his head will cause him little uneasiness, if the same be 

 directed toward his feet it will cause him to display evident 

 symptoms of anxiety. So by threatened attacks he may be 

 induced to move in any desired du-ection. By tapping them 

 gently from below he may be made to raise them; and by 

 persevering he is made to raise both hind feet — lowering his head 

 as a natural result of this rear movement — and thus is accom- 

 plished the feat of standing on his head. In the pedestal per- 

 formance the pedestal is comparatively low, and with the upper 

 surface of just sufficient area to accommodate the elephants 

 four feet, placed close togetlier. He is fii*st made to place one 



PERFORMING ELEPHANT. 



fore foot upon this, then the other, and then in succession 

 the two hind feet. The trainer must be watchful and prevent 

 the elephant's very natural attempt to replace his fore feet on 

 the ground when he places his hind one on the pedestal. This 

 is done by striking his toes whenever he makes the attempt. 



The delicacy of touch possessed by the elephant's trunk 

 enables him to use it for many purposes with as much dexterity 

 as a human being would his hands. Thus he easily performs 

 the amusing trick of opening and drinking a bottle of soda 

 water ; holding the bottle with his feet while he removes the 

 cork with his trunk and then lifting the bottle in his trunk "and 

 pouring the contents down his throat. Similar tricks are read- 

 ily acquired by the elephant without any particular training , 

 all that is necessary in the soda-water trick is to let him know 

 there is something in the bottle and his ingenuity may be 

 depended upon to get at the contents. We some years ago 

 -witnessed a novel feat at a circus. A small table was brought 



