124 
ORPHEUS AT THE ZOO 
then retired, and began to walk backwards and for- 
wards, uttering some half-formed sound. But a fresh 
burst of music from the violin once more brought it 
to the front, where it stood up, and, spreading its arms 
wide on either side, pushed its muzzle between the 
bars. When the musician descended from the 
balcony and went close to the cage, the bear at once 
crossed to the place, and sat down to listen, occasion- 
ally putting its paws through the bars to try and reach 
the instrument. It was not until we had ceased to 
play for some time that the bear left its place against 
the bars, and sought refreshment in a morning tub. 
The two grizzly bears, at the first chord struck, 
assumed at once an air of the most comic and critical 
attention, each with its head on one side, and its paws 
clasping the bars. A sudden discord made both 
bears start back, and the lively tone of <c The Keel 
Row ” set them walking up and down the cage. In 
the Lion House, every head turned to the first sound of 
the violin ; as the strains continued, the largest lion, 
to whom the music was more particularly addressed, 
began to wave the black tuft on its tail from side to 
side ; and a lioness, which had been asleep in the 
inner cage, walked straight out towards the violin, and 
tried to push the lion from its “ front seat.” But by 
this time so much public interest was awakened in our 
experiment that we were obliged to forego our concert 
to the lions, and seek an audience less subject to inter- 
ruption. There is a German tale of a fiddler pursued 
by wolves who was saved by the accidental breaking 
