I have seen some oxen lie down, when put before the plough, and show so
much obstinacy, that they suffered themselves to be whipped most
unmercifully, and even burnt, without showing signs of obedience. If an
ox lies down and will not get up, either by gentle or rough means, tie
him in such a manner that it will be impossible for him to get up. Let
him remain in this situation, without eating or drinking, for ten hours:
then untie him, and he will not fail to go off. Let him go two or three
rounds, and then feed him well. It is not common for him to return to
his former offence, unless he has been an old offender; in which case,
let him remain tied two or three hours longer, and he will not fail of
leaving off his old tricks.
A CURIOUS METHOD OF TEACHING TURKIES TO DANCE AT THE SOUND OF THE
TRIANGLE OR ANY OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.
It is a well known fact, that in the East Indies, camels are often
taught to dance at the sound of music. I knew that this was done by
putting them upon hot floors, &c. They are afterwards exhibited at
public spectacles. I never had learned the precise course pursued; yet
notwithstanding, I undertook to teach a dog to dance. I heated large
pieces of tin plate, put the dog upon them, and at the same time struck
upon a triangle, that being the easiest instrument I knew of. I tried
this several times, without any other success than having most miserably
burnt two or three dogs’ feet in the experiments. At last, in one of my
chemical operations, (for I was then teaching chemistry to a few young
gentleman,) I made use of the sand-bath. It immediately occurred to me,
that in teaching an animal to dance by means of heat, the heat ought to
be tempered by something similar to the sand-bath. I therefore
determined to make a new trial; and, having no dog at hand, I made
choice of four good-looking turkies, two males and two females. I made
two cages; the bottom of one was made of tin plates, upon which I
strewed a certain portion of fine sand. Then I put fire under the cage.
The turkies were in the other cage, which had a door of communication
with the one having a tin bottom. When I thought the bottom of the cage
sufficiently hot, I drove the turkies from the one to the other, shut
the door, and began to strike rapidly and loudly upon the triangle,
which I held in my hand. The sensation of heat which the turkies
experienced, caused them to skip about as if they had been possessed
with some evil spirit. After letting them continue their exercise for a
quarter of an hour or so, I opened the door and drove them back into the
first cage, and at the same time stopped playing. Then I fed them well,
and lastly turned them loose in the yard. The next day, I made them go
through the same ceremony, before I gave them any thing to eat, and so
on, for a quarter of an hour or more every day, for ten days; at the end
of which, I struck upon the triangle before I turned them into the hot
cage. Only one of them, more docile than the other three, began to jump
about a little. The others, it is true, looked up, and seemed, as it
were, astonished. I was then fully convinced that they would all shortly
learn to dance, if I continued the same method of giving them lessons. I
accordingly continued on, in the same manner, for twenty days more; at
the end of which, I let them loose one day in a room, and began to
strike violently upon the triangle. All four of the turkies began to
skip and run about, keeping pretty close to one another, and changing
every minute their position. It was the most ludicrous, and, at the same
time, entertaining sight imaginable. The impression which the sound of
the triangle had made upon them, on account of their having felt the
heat at the bottom of the cage, every time they had heard that music,
became a lasting one; and they would begin to dance, ever after, though
in the yard amidst the other turkies, whenever they heard the sound of
that instrument. They generally separated themselves from the others,
and run together. They may be taught with any other instrument, as well
as with the triangle. It will take much longer to teach a dog, than a
turkey. The reason is, as I suppose, that the dog is not so easily
deceived. The only difficulty attending this mode of teaching turkies to
dance is, to keep your tin plates neither too hot nor too cold; for, if
too hot, they will get their feet burnt; and, if too cold, they won’t
dance. I sold the four above-mentioned turkies, for four doubloons, to a
man who went about exhibiting various curiosities.