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 innocent 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 Hôtel 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, however, 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.
[Illustration: 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 are 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, which 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.
“‘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.
[Illustration]