ann went boldly up to him and gently flicked him with his whip.
Caesar got slowly down, snarling and growling the whole time. "Come on,
then, there's a good fellow," said Mr. Mellermann, and after a while
Caesar was persuaded to balance himself on the ball which he rolled
slowly along the plank. Having done it once or twice forwards and
backwards, he was allowed to return to his seat, which he did with
great joy and satisfaction. Mr. Mellermann then went up to him, told
him he had been a good fellow, and gave him a special bit of meat all
to himself. "I always do that," said he, coming back to where I was
standing, "when an animal has shown any unwillingness to perform his
tricks, for there is nothing that encourages them like kindness."

"Which animals show the most intelligence?" said I.

"Well," replied Mr. Mellermann, "I don't think there is much
difference between them. Lions and tigers, males and females, are
equally clever; and," continued Mr. Mellermann, "I think it is all
rubbish to say that tigers are not as affectionate or as easily tamed
as lions. Why, look here," he continued, going up to a splendid Royal
Bengal tiger which greeted him with a most extravagant affection as he
threw his arms round the creature's neck and drew the great head down
on a level with his own, "you couldn't get a more affectionate beast
than this is, I am sure."

On this particular morning the animals seemed to be a little flighty,
which Karl Hagenbeck explained to me was owing to the fact that the
young animals were so close by, and the old ones wanted to play with
them. Next, one of the bears was led forth to walk on the tight rope,
this appliance really being a long narrow plank. Very cleverly he
balanced himself on his hind legs, and walked, first forwards and then
backwards, with wonderful skill and ease. The trainer walked beside
him, encouraging him now and again with the words, "Steady, John,
steady," treating him, indeed, exactly as he would treat a boy at
school. In the middle of his performance a loud snarling and growling
was suddenly heard; a tiger and a leopard had begun quarrelling, and,
as the leopard had been behaving very badly the whole morning, and
distracting the attention of the school, he was sent back to his den
in disgrace. Meanwhile the bear retired to his pedestal and sat down
upon it with a graceful and self-satisfied air. "That bear very much
pleased the Emperor of Austria and the King of Bavaria when