The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-07-23
The Voices of Animals.

Aquatic animals are mute. A world
of radiates, molluSks, and firhes. there
fore, would be silent. Insects are ahont
the only invertebrates capable of pro-
dncing sounds. Their organs are usual
ly external, while those of higher ami
mails are Internal. Insects of rapid flight
generally make the most noise. In some
the noise is produced by friction (stridu-
lation); in others by the passage of air
through the spiracles (humming). The
buzzing of flies and bees are caused in
part by the vibrations Of the wings; but
it comes mainly from the spiracles of the
thorax. Snakes and lizards have no
vocal chorls, and can only hiss. Frogs
croak, and crocodilies roar by the Eibra-
tions of the glottis. The huge tortoise
of the Galapagos islands utter hOarse,
believing noise. The vocal apparatus in
birds is situated at the lower end Of the
trachea, where it divi les into the two
bronchi. 1t consists mainly Of long
drum with a cross bone, having a verti-
cal membrane attached to its upper edge.
Five pair of muscles lin the songsters)
adjust the length of the windpipe to the
pitch of the glottis. The various notes
are produced by differences of the blast
of air. as well as by changes in the ten
sion of the membrane. The range of
notes is commonly within an octave.
Birds of the same family have a similar
voice. All the parrots have a harsh
utterance; geese and ducks quack, crows.
magpies and jays cav; while the MARBLES
differ in the quality rather than the
kind of notes. Some species possess
great compass of voice The bell bird
can be heard nearly three miles; and
Livingstone said he could distinguish
the voices Of the ostrich and lion only
by knowing that the former roar by day
and the latter by night. The vocal or
gan of animals, unlike that Of birds, is
on the upper part of the larynx. 1t con-
sists of four cariilages, of which the
largest 1.-THE thyoid) produces the promi-
nence in the human throat known as
Adams apple, the two elastic bands,
called vocal chords, just below the gloftis
or upper opening Of the windpipe. The
various tones are determined by the ten
sion of these chords, which is effected by
the raising or lowering of the thyroid
| prominence. The will cannot influence
the contraction of the vocalization. The
vocal sounds produced by mammals
may be distinguished into the ordinary
voice, the cry and the song. The second
is the sound made by brutes. The whale
porpoise, armadillo. anteater, porcupine,
and giraffe are generally silent. The bats
voice Is probably the shrillest sound
audible to human ears. There is little
modulatiOn in brute utterance. The
opossum purs, the slOth and kangaroo
moan, the hog grunts or squeals, the
tapir whistles, the stag bellows, and the
elephant gives h0arse, trumpet sound
from its trunk and deep groan from it,
throat. All sheep have cultural voice;
all the cows low, from the bison to the
musk OK; all the horses and donkeys
neigh; all the cats, miau, from the do
nestle animal to the lion; all the bears
growl; and all the canine family (fox,
wolf, and dog bark, howl and whine.
The bowling monkeys and gorilIas have
large cavity or sac in the throat for re-
sonance, enabling them to uttera power
ful voice; and one Of the gibbons has the
remarkable power of emitting a COM
| plete octave of musical notes. The hu-
man voice, taking the male and female
together, have range of nearly four
octaves. Mans power of speech, or the
utterance of articulate sounds, il due to
his intellectual development rather than
to any structural difference between him
and the apes. Song is produced by the
glotti=, speech by the mouth.-[Scienti-
! nc American.