trainer must possess intelligence of good quality, infinite
patience and tireless industry. Furthermore, the stage properties
must be ample. An outfit of this kind can train any ape that is
mentally and physically a good subject. Of course in every animal
species, wild or domestic, there are individuals so dull and
stupid that it is inexpedient to try to educate them.

The chimpanzee Suzette who came to us direct from the vaudeville
stage performed every summer in her open-air "arena cage," until
she entered motherhood, which put an end to her stage work. She
was a brilliant "trick" bicycle rider. She could stand upright on
a huge wooden ball, and by expert balancing and foot-work roll it
up a steep incline, down a flight of stairs, and land it safely
upon the stage, without once losing her balance or her control.
She was entirely at home on roller skates, and when taken out upon
the pavement of Baird Court she would go wildly careering around
the large grass plat at high speed.

All the above acts were acrobatic feats that called for original
thought and action, and were such as no dull mind and body could
exert. All the training skill in the world could not take a
machine and teach it to ride a bicycle through a collection of
bottles, and an intelligent ape is a million years from being a
"machine in fur and feathers."

More than once I have been astounded by the performances of apes
on the stage. Mr. J. S. Edwards' orang-utan Joe was a very capable
animal, and his performances were wonderful. He could use a
hammer in driving nails, and a screwdriver in inserting and
extracting screws, with wonderful dexterity.