1S2 THE ART OF TRAINING ANIMALS. 



Ned's little game, while, we believe, visitors never suspected 

 that their ducking was anything more than mere accident. 



Thefirst feat he was taught was to sit up on his hind quart- 

 ers. This was easily accomplished by holding a fish in the air 

 as an encouragement for the seal to keep an erect position. 

 More difficulty was experienced in teaching him to play the 

 organ. Day after day his paw was placed on the handle, while 

 the trainer industriously turned the crank and held Ned's paw 

 in position at the same time. Ever and anon the man would 

 remove his hand to see if the seal continued the motion, but 

 down would flop Ned's paw and he would gaze vacantly at the 

 instrument without the least apparent consciousness of what was 

 to be done. But by-and-by there was a little hesitation in the 

 paw and it did not drop quite so promptly on the trainer's hand 



NED, THE "learned SEAL.' 



being removed. Then Ned got a little fish. The next time the 

 p.aw lingered quite perceptibly on the handle, and there was 

 Just the faintest movement toward turning the crank. Then 

 Ned got a bigger fish, which he undoubtedly relished exceeding- 

 ly, for all this time he had been on short allowance. So it 

 went on, the seal grmding a few notes, increasing their number 

 rach time and being rewarded with fish, until he had learned to 

 roll out the full supply of tunes the instrument afi'orded, though 

 his '^ time " would have puzzled a musician, his efi"orts being to 

 .crind at the greatest possible speed, and we feel safe in assert- 

 ing that his '^ Old Hundred " was the fastest thing on record. 

 After every exhibition he was rewarded with fish. 



Quite a number of instances are recorded where seals have 

 .been tamed without any design of public exhibition. A writer 

 in the London Field gives some curious details of his own ex- 

 periment. He says : 



" When a boy, I was presented by some fishermen with one 



