Quantity: 1

Auction Ends: 12/15/00

High Bidder: gfajuri@umich.edu

Seller: Ye Old eBay Web Masters

Seller assumes all responsibility for listing this item. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding. Auction currency is British pounds unless otherwise noted.

This auction is probably one of the greatest bargains on the site. Available for one performance and one only, which lasts approximately 40 minutes is the flock of trained cats made so successful by their owner, a Mr. Bisset, who has become known throughout the kingdom for his unparalleled ability to train even the most finicky of beasts. And knowing just how finicky felines can be, one can appreciate the "cat opera" up for auction here even more than the common learned pig or trained horse so often seen at Southwark Fair, among other places. According to Mr. Thomas Frost, "Cats are generally regarded as too susceptible of nervous excitement to perform in public, though their larger relatives, lions, tigers and leopards, have been taught to perform a variety of tricks before spectators, and cats are readily taught to perform the same trick in private." Bisset, however, has made his small felines unafraid of crowds and something of a group of show-offs. Let the bidders on this auction be reminded that the Cat's Opera took in several thousand pounds over the course of two days not long ago, and that the opening bid of 35 pounds sterling is a small sum for such a miraculous presentation. It will look something like this: three cats, under the bidding of Bisset, will play the dulcimer and at the same time, squall to the notes produced in a most harmonious and novel manner. In addition, Bisset will supplement the performance with tricks performed by his trained monkeys (who play the barrel organ and vault on the tight rope), a hare that walks on its hind legs while beating a drum, and a feathered army of canaries and linnets that spell out names and tell time by the clock. At an extra charge, Bisset will include his half dozen turkeys that execute a country dance with exacting precision, and a turtle that writes names on the floor (its feet are specifically blackened for the purpose). Bisset has been a particular success in Ireland as well as London and his availability for private engagements are limited. Act now.

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