would By to his chosen perch and re- 

 sume his glorious song, tempting his 

 audience to return. This time he would 

 regale them with the choicest of his 

 trills, breaking off in the midst as be- 

 fore and mischievously flying away to 

 hide himself. This little comedy he 

 would repeat three or four times dur- 

 ing an afternoon or a moonlight night. 



A black cat of the household was a 

 recipient of his practical jokes. When 

 she was passing Jip found it exceed- 

 ingly amusing to spring upon her back, 

 give her a sharp dig with his beak, and 

 then spring nimbly to a low branch, 

 exulting over the cat's vain effort to 

 locate her tormentor. 



A favorite joke of a mockingbird in 

 Richmond, Va., was, when espying a 

 dog, to utter a shrill whistle in exact 

 imitation of a man summoning that 

 animal. Thus peremptorily called, the 

 canine would suddenly halt, prick up 

 his ears, look up and down the street, 

 then, seeing no master, trot on his way. 

 Again the bird would whistle, but in a 

 more mandatory tone than before. The 

 dog would stop, gaze about in a puzzled 

 manner, then, in response to another 

 whistle, dash forward in the direction 

 of the sound. The mystification of the 

 dog appeared to afford the mocking- 

 bird the most delight, more particularly 

 when not only one dog, but several 

 would collect under his cage, whining 

 and barking, vainly seeking to locate 

 their masters. 



Among the mammals, the elephant, 

 in general estimation, possesses the 

 drollest sense of humor. The writer 

 never will forget the mischievous 

 pranks of a huge fellow among a herd 

 of elephants tethered in a pen in Cen- 

 tral Park, New York. Only those 

 beyond his reach escaped his teasing, 

 his sinuous trunk tickling those near, 

 now here, now there, his little pig-like 

 eyes twinkling with genuine "humor. 

 His companions did not respond in 

 kind, not feeling perhaps in a playful 

 mood, which fact seemed in no way to 

 diminish the big fellow's amusement, 

 for he continued the sport at intervals 

 much to the edification of the specta- 

 tors. 



Even when engaged in piling up 

 huge slabs of lumber in the sawmills 

 in India, these huge animals while 

 away the tedious hours of labor by 

 many a little prank or joke at the ex- 

 pense of their drivers. A favorite one 

 is, after disposing of one load and re- 

 turning for another, to fill their trunks 

 with odds and ends as they move leis- 

 urely along, a stray nail, three or four 

 pebbles, a tuft of grass with a bit of 

 earth still clinging to its roots, a dis- 

 carded cheroot, or other small articles 

 which may lie in their paths. These 

 are collected, and when the trunk is 

 packed to their satisfaction, quietly 

 curled upward and the mass blown 

 against the naked stomachs of the 

 drivers dozing upon their backs. 



TAMING THE SMALLER WILD ANIMALS. 



ALDA M. MILLS. 



THERE is a great difference in 

 the dispositions of the small 

 wild animals, some quickly re- 

 sponding to care and petting, 

 while others seem incapable of being 

 tamed. It is the same with birds. I 

 have found owls, hawks, and other spe- 

 cies very easil)' tamed, while prairie 

 chickens and quail appear to be inca- 



pable of domestication even in a small 

 degree. They will lose considerable 

 fear of human beings if left in their 

 freedom to become accustomed to 

 their near approach, but if placed in 

 captivity the)' pine away and die, or, 

 finding some avenue of escape, wander 

 away and are lost. The nearest ap- 

 proach to domestication in the prairie 



