performing birds—their tricks and their training.
birds 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 consists 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 end leading up the plane and being secured inside the cage. this is so arranged that when the string is pulled the vessel is drawn up to an opening in the cage sufficiently 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 strength. 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 almost 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 office. in this office 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, affording considerable attraction to our visitors. at one spot was a perch near which the sugar and seed-glass displayed their attractions, but no sooner had the 200innocent canary placed its foot on the fatal perch than a circular cage encompassed it, and it was kept a prisoner until another bird, perching on an adjoining piece of wood set loose a spring which delivered the captive. at another place were baths and pumps; further on was a small trough, so arranged that the nearer the bird seemed to draw to it the further off it really was. lastly, each denizen of the cage was obliged to earn its food by drawing forward with its beak small pasteboard carts.”
we have known the following arrangement to be used for bullfinches, which might be applied to other birds: the apparatus for drawing up its food and water consisted of a band of soft leather one-sixth of an inch in breadth, in which were pierced four holes, through which the feet and wings of the bird were put, and the ends united to a ring on the belly. to this ring was attached a small chain fastened at the other end to the seed and water vessel. when the bird is hungry it pulls the chain up a little way with his beak, puts his foot on it to retain the length already gained, then pulls again, and so continues. sometimes the two vessels are attached to a pulley in such a manner that when one descends the other rises, so that the bird has to pull up each as he wants it.
canaries may be taught to come and go at command. to accomplish this the cage should be provided with doors which open only inward, and which close of themselves. when the male and female have been paired the former is let fly in some garden where there are trees; the cage is then hung outside the window, that his mate may lure him back. this is repeated five or six days, always letting the male go again without touching him, so he may not be terrified. after a time the female too may be set at liberty, the door of the cage being left permanently open that they may go and return at will.
the european sparrow, which is becoming acclimated here, and will no doubt soon become as common here as there, is often taught to leave home and return at call. all that is necessary is to keep it a month in a large cage at the window, plentifully supplied with good food, such as millet, bread, etc. winter is the best time for this purpose. an inmate of the h?tel des invalides, at paris, is said to have made a sparrow so tame as to leave it perfectly at liberty without any fear of losing it. it was ornamented with a small bell fastened by a ribbon around its neck. it would not allow itself to be touched by any one but its owner, and was so fond of him that it could not be induced to leave him when at last he became bed-ridden. on one occasion it was caught and deprived of its bell. it was, 201however, melancholy and refused to eat until another bell had been provided.
it is said that crushed hemp seed fed to linnets takes away their love of liberty, and that it may be used advantageously when it is desired to teach them to come in through the open window without danger of their flying away. it is advised that they should be confined in a large cage placed in a window looking into a garden, for a considerable time before they are allowed to go out. robins are often permitted to go away during the summer, and instances are often reported of their returning to take up winter quarters in the warm dwelling-house.
tamed birds performing various feats.
several individuals have made a regular profession of exhibiting performing birds. uniting a peculiar skill and an exhaustless patience, these men labor ceaselessly in instructing their charges, and the result is that the birds learn to perform many surprising tricks. they are even taught to perform little dramatic scenes together; representing, for instance, the trial, condemnation and execution of a spy, in which the characters 202are all maintained by birds, and the action of the scene very cleverly represented. there is however a little trickery in this, the birds, although apparently acting without human agency, are in reality constantly under the direction of their trainer, who is usually concealed from the audience. each bird is carefully instructed in his particular duties, and performs his part at certain signals or particular commands. while performing, the trainer carefully “works” the performers, keeps them up to their duties, and thus makes everything pass off smoothly in its regular order.
the method of training is merely an elaboration of what we have already given. the birds are first made perfectly tame, and then gradually encouraged to perform such little tricks as jumping over the trainer’s finger, seizing articles presented to them with their beak or claw, and other trifles. by-and-by the bird will wheel a little pasteboard wheelbarrow with the aid of a string attached to the handles, which he takes in his beak. another bird is taught to take things in his claw by first having articles of food presented to him which he is only allowed to have when he takes them in that manner. then some other article is offered him and when he takes that in like manner he is rewarded. when he will take an article at the command of the trainer all that is required for his performance is that the article desired should be offered him; thus the bird will take a miniature basket, gun, or any other article with equal readiness. a small lighted candle may even be used if managed carefully.
when a bird has learned to pull a string, or seize with his beak what is presented to his notice, this accomplishment may be applied to many tricks, apparently very different. he may be made to fire off a pistol by pulling a string attached to the trigger; to draw a little bucket from a diminutive well; to ring bells; and an almost unlimited number of like actions. walking on a tight rope, or wire, and carrying a little flag is readily accomplished after the foregoing training. the bird is either lifted or guided upon the rope, and the flag then given him. many tricks consist in the bird merely retaining a position given him, as in a little swing, cradle or at a little table. a very tame bird may be placed in an upright ring, around the margin of which are candles or jets of fire. there was a sparrow at one exhibition which performed the seemingly wonderful feat of selecting from a shuffled pack, a card previously chosen by any of the audience. a dirty pack of cards was handed to one of the company, who selected a card, and gave it back to the exhibitor, who shuffled the pack after replacing the card; he then put the pack upright in a kind of card-case, 203which so held them as to leave about half an inch above the brim. the java sparrow hopped on one of the cards, and finally drew the identical one that had been drawn. the explanation became easy on examining the cards. at one end, each card had a thin layer of sweet-wafer paste; the selected card was taken by the exhibitor and placed in the pack; all the rest of the cards had the paste end downward, while the card alone was placed back in the pack with the opposite end upward. and the bird naturally looked at the end.
the greatest humbug in vienna is a school of trained goldfinches, which a woman has taught to draw numbers from a bowl, without, however, selecting any particular one, but merely taking them hap-hazard. all the superstitious lottery ticket buyers go thither for an augury, and the owner of the finches is reaping a rich harvest.
in a work entitled pratt’s gleanings, for many years out of print, and now almost out of existence, we find the following description of an exhibition given by a bird tamer at a fair in the town of cleves:
“the canary was produced, and the owner harangued him in the following manner, placing him upon his forefinger: ‘bijou, jewel, you are now in the presence of persons of great sagacity and honor; take heed you do not disappoint the expectations they have conceived of you from the world’s report. you have got laurels; beware, then, of erring.’
“all this time the bird seemed to listen, and indeed placed himself in the true attitude of attention, by sloping his head to the ear of the man, and then distinctly nodding twice when his master left off speaking.
“‘that’s good,’ said the master, pulling off his hat to the bird. ‘now, then, let us see if you are a canary of honor. give us a tune.’ the canary sang.
“‘pshaw! that’s too harsh; ’tis the note of a raven, with a hoarseness upon him; something pathetic.’ the canary whistled as if his little throat was changed to a lute.
“‘faster,’ says the man—‘slower—very well—what a plague is this foot about, and this little head? no wonder you are out, mr. bijou, when you forget your time. that’s a jewel—bravo! bravo! my little man!’
“all that he was ordered or reminded of did he do to admiration. his head and foot beat time—humored the variations of both tone and movement.
“‘bravo! bravo!’ re-echoed from all parts of the room. the musicians declared the canary was a greater master of music than any of their band.
204“‘and do you not show your sense of this civility, sir?’ cried the bird catcher with an angry air. the canary bowed most respectfully, to the delight of the company.
“his next achievement was that of going through the martial exercise with a straw gun, after which, ‘my poor bijou,’ says the owner, ‘thou hast had hard work and must be a little weary; a few performances more and thou shalt repose. show the ladies how to make a curtsey.’ the bird here crossed his taper legs and sank and rose with an ease and grace that would have put half the belles to the blush.
“‘that will do, my bird; and now a bow, head and foot corresponding.’ here the striplings for ten miles around london might have blushed also.
“‘let us finish with a hornpipe, my brave little fellow; that’s it, keep it up, keep it up.’
“the activity, glee, spirit, and accuracy with which this last order was obeyed, wound up the applause to the highest pitch of admiration. bijou himself seemed to feel the sacred thirst of fame, and shook his little plumes and carolled an “io paean” that sounded like the conscious notes of victory.”
a curious trick is performed by a particular kind of pigeon, quite common in india. these birds are called “tumbling pigeons” from their peculiarity which consists of tumbling on the ground, instead of in the air. when required to tumble they are taken in the hand, and the head slightly rubbed or “filliped” with the finger, and then they are put on the ground, when they continue to tumble until taken up. they are not left on the ground until their tumblings are completed, being invariably taken up after they have tumbled about a dozen times; probably they would injure or exhaust themselves, if left longer. the pigeons are always white, and though their wings are long and pointed, they seem to have small powers of flight.
