EDUCATION SEALS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7189, 15 June 1885, Page 4

EDUCATION SEALS.

Review). what are called the If^mVftials 13 certainly making propigs, conversational donkeys, canaries who believe that they are a||pdilpring up again with increased |||i||n||l)umorott3 dogs, and satirical all who care to 'shown by what. " our poor rela■•'lajely the seal has ! |p|y£%B ; ca,ped the pains and pleaI MfjedUcaJion. He has been valued \ Bfe^ny^f or his skin, and admired 1 iflipi'y f oe the pathetic eye with 0 ||||Oriyalß the gazelle. But 1 |||q£ This genius have not hitherto I |||jolj>sed. There are now at the Aquarium several of these |||||!^curiouß animals, whose feats t inteUigence and a capacity for and companionable which litejlf^worth notice, They rinjj sundry musical instrujsif|o!including a drum and banjo, jSylpfsfng-not more out of tune than privation Army. The sense of fio^hioh. seals possess has long been .all their performances at IjT'eatrjDiinster Aquarium are acoomyid^by/a piano. They will take a o|and smoke it with all the cornpladyftpj a country rector at his own the word of command they Is6]inib up a sloping flight of steps Intake 3 headlong plunge into the i^Jjelow.:, They are trained to play sljsV.bn ':qne another. Oae will preKpb; jie" a baby, and will crawl into a ilefeti and as soon as he is comfartahly tied another will come up and knock apgbasket and all, into the water. lscif&-j little boat with two or three idren in it is set afloat one or two ft n&; seals. will be yoked in front of it, pwilldrawit and its cargo round the jll^doll nearly as large as themselves ftpepting a drowning man will be j lif4toy. them, and they will swim indCwith it, remaining themselves a9rneath; but holding the head of the water all the 'time. They [t^etqliy oarry, and retrieve as well as p?3^£bringing back with equal ease itipS|th'rqwn into the tank or a. heavy ik|S)^T?ttpd. They fire off guns and |$f^and in one case we noted esa^ygthit the six barrels oE the reBJMwere discharged with regular Their successful achieve■PPar^ rewarded with fish to eat ; seals, as with other animals feats, it -Is found that mnlfstis tbe best sohool. They are wel|^educ'ated that one of the tasks pl^|thj>' n ßeal has to fulfil is to swi>u |o||^e" s,fißa5 ,fiBa thrown into the water, l^feipg'/it Back to his master un|6i«l£X. :; Had we .been the seal we iKjb^tiye done otherwise; aud we |fifetaa^ ©ye- witnesses have had our Ifijs^'iaa to the possibility of the fact tyri'opfded had it not been for other f formances in which there was no opgfin;it£'7for]legerdemain on the part The moat curious j|||iaient Ohristaiu llll^jH^rhe'seaJ, enveloped in a red fraßn^dived into the tank, and, after in the water for one or two SutesV-turned round on his back and giffedf to give up the ghost. When he ne\|again to the surface, he must .have enjoyed the applause thSwhich he was greeted. A. waltz Slpjrtformea 1 in the water by one of j| animals to the tune of a cracked inp; jl ;whicb. showed that they had more irrtra^ rudimentary sense of music. rh'&pß if the music had been better the us|£wbuld na ve danced with more ffitjf/^Qne of the prettiest of the perpnejfttfees '.was that of a seal imitating paiu Boyton crossing the Channel. i^|cr|iaittr?lay on its back with a flag d^Sail in its fins, and quietly sailed find the water. HIS:;:-'- "' ' ■=