132 THE ART OF TEAINING ANIMALS. 



story told of Tom Nathan, once well known in connection with 

 circus exhibitions, gives one illustration of the feelings attend- 

 ant upon non-success. He began public life as clown. In his 

 later years his hau' was snowy white, but he relates that it be- 

 came so, not in consequence of his years, but from an alarming 

 accident which befel him during his career in the saw-dust. 

 There was a tiger in the s^ow with which he was connected, 

 and the man who bearded the tiger in his den having, on one 

 occasion, struck for higher wages, Nathan volunteered to take 

 his place. Boldly he entered the cage, but as soon as he did so, 

 the animal resented the intrusion and seized him by the fleshy 

 part of the body immediately below the small of the back. The 

 fear of being chewed, the pain of the laceration of his flesh, and 

 disappointed ambition combined, blanched his hau- in a mo- 

 ment. He went into the cage a fair haired youth, and was taken 

 out, as soon as he could be secured, a white headed old man. 



The following is a bit of experience, related to an English cor- 

 respondent, by an old English tamer named Norwood, long 

 employed by Jamrach, an extensive animal owner of London : 



'^ Whenever I 'ave a few words with Mr. Jamrach, which I 

 had a few not many weeks ago, I takes to the show business, 

 and am allers ready to go in. This 'ere scar '' (baring an arm 

 and showing a deep flesh wound, recently cicatrized) " I got on 

 the Kingsland road, on the 20th of this monih. A IBengal tiger 

 it was, and I was a-performing with the same beast as was at 

 the Crystal Palace a short time arterwards. Me and Mr. Jam- 

 rach 'ad 'ad a few words, we 'ad, and I took up with the perform- 

 Ing, which I'd been accustomed to. Well, I see the tiger for 

 the first time at four in the arternoon ; and I goes into her den, 

 and puts her through her anky-panky at eight. As a matter 

 o'course I 'ad to giv' her the whip a bit, and she not knowing 

 my voice, don't you see, got fidgety and didn't like it. To make 

 matters worse moresumever, this tiger bein' fond of jumpin', 

 .they went and shortened the cage, so that when I giv' the word 

 she fell short of her reg'lar jump, and came upon me. I don't 

 believe she meant mischief; I only fancy she got timid like, and 

 not being accustomed to what she 'ad under 'er, she makes a 

 grab and does wot you see. The company got scared like ; the 

 ladies screamed, and the performance was stopped for a time. 

 What did I do ? — why, directly they came in with iron bars and 

 made her loose her hold, I jest giv' her the whip agen, and made 

 her go through the jump till she got more satisfied like ; but she 

 was timid, very timid, to the last, and tore off the flesh right to 

 the elbow here. No, sir, I never stopped the performance after 

 the first time» though I was being mauled above a bit, while the 



