that he was the first to introduce comedy into
an act of this nature. He made his bow in
Paris in 1783, and is said to have created quite
a sensation by his unusual performance. I
am indebted to Martin's Naturliche Magie,
1792, for a very complete description of the
work of this artist.

Dufour made use of a portable building,
which was specially adapted to his purposes,
and his table was spread as if for a banquet,
except that the edibles were such as his
performance demanded. He employed a trumpeter
and a tambour player to furnish music
for his repast--as well as to attract public
attention. In addition to fire-eating, Dufour
gave exhibitions of his ability to consume
immense quantities of solid food, and he
displayed an appetite for live animals, reptiles,
and insects that probably proved highly
entertaining to the not overrefined taste of the
audiences of his day. He even advertised a
banquet of which the public was invited to
partake at a small fee per plate, but since the
menu consisted of the delicacies just described,
his audiences declined to join him at table.

His usual bill-of-fare was as follows:

Soup--boiling tar torches, glowing coals and