When Mesmer went to the island of Mainau flocks of birds would fly toward him, following him wherever he walked and settling around him when he sat down. [He]…had a pet canary in an open cage in his room. Every morning the bird would fly to his master, perch on his head and wake him with his song. He would keep him company during his breakfast sometimes dropping lumps of sugar in his cup.
- Henri Ellenberger, The Discovery of the Unconscious, Basic Books, New York, 1970.