182 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAP. 
criticism of most, if not all, the exhibitions of 
trained animals seen in modern days; namely, 
that the “tricks” they are taught are in them- 
selves trivial and without any purpose likely to 
interest or reward the performer. They tend to 
stultify rather than improve the animal’s mind; 
and, so far from being marvels of intelligence, 
rarely show even the extent of the natural capa- 
bilities discernible by an appreciative eye in the 
untrained animal. The truth is the trainer is 
exhibiting himself, not his animals, and it is the 
teacher rather than his pupils that we ought to 
admire. . 
Wolves have always been regarded as nearly 
intractable; but that they could be both tamed 
and trained has been shown within the past few 
years by a French trainer who had a pack that 
would perform like dogs. The hyena, too, is 
taught tricks, but it is said to require a long 
time and many lessons to force anything into 
his head. Seals, on the contrary, are docile, and 
are taught to do a number of feats which derive 
their interest mainly from seeing the attempts 
of such awkward animals to do what a dog 
or cat would do naturally and easily. They show, 
at any rate, bright minds and great docility. 
A pretty young woman lately caused much inter- 
‘est in Paris by an exhibition of trained rabbits, and 
Mademoiselle Claire’s white pets seemed greatly 
to enjoy their mimicry of the big elephants of 
