TEACHING BIRDS TRICKS. 199 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



PERFORMING BIRDS — THEIR TRICKS AND THEIR TRAINING. 



BIHDS may be taught a number of amusing feats, although 

 some we shall explain require so much time, labor, and skill, 

 as to render them rather more difficult than most amateurs will 

 care to undertake, but there are many which any suitable bird 

 may be taught, with reasonable pains. A person with a faculty 

 for invention can arrange various little mechanical contrivances 

 in the cages of his birds, more or less elaborate according to the 

 skill and fancy of the inventor. A very neat arrangement con- 

 sists of an inclined plane outside the cage upon which a little 

 wagon may run, or a little tray slide, containing bird seed. To 

 this vessel is attached one end of a string, the other endleading- 

 up the plane and being secured inside the cage. This is so ar- 

 ranged that when the string is pulled the vessel is drawn up to 

 an opening in the cage suffiicently large for the bird to secure 

 the seed, but not large enough to permit his escape. To teach 

 the bird to draw this vessel up he must be kept without food 

 until he becomes quite hungry. When hungry he will peck at 

 anything in his cage. 



The string should be so arranged that he can seize it without 

 trouble, and the apparatus should work smoothly and require 

 little strecgth. The seed vessel should be in sight of the bird 

 so that he may be tempted by the seed. At first he will peck at 

 the string as he would at anything else, and will naturally pull ■■ 

 it without any idea of the result. When he sees this result al- 

 most every bird will persevere until he brings his " commissary 

 department'^ within his reach, and instinct will teach him to 

 retain it in place and prevent its sliding back by placing his foot 

 on the string while he eats. 



Houdin, the French conjuror, when a youth, was employed as 

 errand boy in a lawyer's ofBce. In this otfice was a large cage 

 of birds, the care of which was one of his duties. This afforded 

 him an opportunity for exercising that talent which he in after 

 years applied so successfully to the manufacture of automata 

 and conjuring apparatus. He thus describes his labors : ^' I 

 began by setting up in this cage a number of mechanical tricks 

 I had invented at college under similar circumstances. I 

 gradually added fresh ones and ended by making the cage a 

 work of art and curiosity, aifording considerable attraction to 

 our visitors. At one spot was a perch near whi^h the sugar 

 and seed-glass displayed their attractions, but no sooner had the 



