WILD BEASTS BEHIND THE BARS 
229 
to be prompted he sought out a Russian 
boar hound, and of his own accord elected 
him to the position of mentor. And the 
bull, outcast and forsaken, and with his 
feelings badly hurt, sat on the floor and 
howled every time he saw his place usurped 
in such wise, until he frightened the other 
lions nearly to death — anything not on the 
programme is likely to have that effect — so 
that, finally, he had to be removed from 
the cage and from his Jonathan for good 
and all. He never got over it; and Wal- 
lace, though still good-natured and docile, 
ceased to be quite so trusting as formerly. 
One of the many queer features to be 
noted in the study of captive life is the fact 
that nearly all animals have one particular 
form of punishment which appeals to them 
more forcibly than any other. A certain 
celebrated lion seems to fear nothing in the 
world save a stick in the trainer's left hand. 
If in the right hand it is nothing but an or- 
dinary stick, and not at all to be feared; 
but let the man shift it to his left, and it 
instantly becomes endowed, to that lion's 
mind, with limitless powers and possibili- 
ties. A frisky young tigress, whose per- 
formances are now over, in her palmy days 
was affected only by her trainer's blowing 
sharply on her nose. This apparently sim- 
ple operation never failed to electrify her 
into an instant's rigid immovability, thus 
giving the man a chance for more heroic 
treatment. It appeared to be somewhat in 
line with the effect which the same per- 
formance has upon a rabbit. The trainer 
discovered this peculiarity quite by acci- 
dent, and, on the first occasion, w T as nearly 
as much astonished at the result as the 
animal herself. 
An instance of this trait took place in 
Berlin five or six years ago. By way of 
introduction it should be explained that al- 
most the first thing an animal learns when 
he is performing with other animals is that 
his block or chair, or whatever it may be, is 
his own particular property, where he can 
retire when his act is over, and where he is 
sure of not being disturbed by the trainer 
or his fellows. A lion finds this out very 
quickly ; and if he sees another in his place 
— even though by accident- — will promptly 
dislodge him, no matter if the intruder be 
three times his size. Also, it is an unwrit- 
ten law that an animal shall not interfere 
with another who is "on the floor," but 
shall take care to keep well out of his way. 
As soon as a lion gets to know anything at 
all of the business, he understands these 
rules perfectly, and rarely ever violates 
them. 
Three lions were concerned in the follow- 
ing affair : Sammy, a two-year-old of amaz- 
ingly bucolic habits, newly imported and 
just beginning his education, consequently 
very green ; Caesar, a splendid specimen 
of his race, affable and courteous upon 
THE STAR PERFORMER. 
