The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-18
ANIMALS AND MUSIC.
THE TUNEFUlNESS OF TINY tOITER.
eRs OF A SUMMERS DAY.
Musical Taste Of Birds-Orchestra OF an
August Anernoon-soft Sounds to BE
Heard in the Hayfieid - Crickets and
Katydtds.

| Heard In the Hayfield - Crickets an
Katydtds.
Some animalt abhor music, at leas
some music; but most animals love music
| A cow likes nothing better than singing
and whistlng and her milk flows gladl.
for chap that will sing to her, as sh'
| turns ner head and kisses him with he
tongue. A dog, so far as | know. hate:
music, except singing and whistling. 4
piano sets him on edge and drum or fiji,
make, him howl Horses, believe, love
martial music best Every horse is nat
urally war horse. and likes parade and
the dash of military life. Next to this
he Is in his element running with a
fire engine. | know of no decent music
that he dislikes. Cats, unlike dogs, like
pianos and organs. OF course, we un-
dersta0d that nearly all birds hcve some
musical taste, although few have real
skill know Of but two real masters of
song in our northern states, the bobolink
and catbird although there are many
more really sweet singers The liquid,
silvery notes of the bobolink are like the
dew OF the early, pure morning. One al
ways associates them with waterfalls and
the Music of silver instruments But the
catbird il the marvel of all musicians
He is able to do about what he will
But what led Inc to sit down to write
was the music of the insects-"tiny
loiterers of summers day" 1t is a mis-
take 10 suppose the chief occupation Of
these dipteras and hymenopteras is eating
and w0riing-it is making music. You
should go out in haying time and sit down
on a cock of hay in the middle of the day
and then again iii the evening, and you
will, II you give yourself to listening
have revealed to you new world ~,
you must not be thinking of other things
Close your eyes and lay your head back on
the sweet hay. There Are you not nov
conscious of several stratas of music.
reaching far up into the sky! The upper
air is full of bees-hornets lii part, it may
be-and there arc millions of them. Then
lower down are all sorts of flies and work
ing bees, while in the trees and grass
there is fully as vast a number of crickets,
katydids aid other music makers. Now
you must open your ears as carefully as
you close -FOUR eyes, and listen attentively:
tor | assure you there are myriads of
sounds close by you that you never heard
Is it not so? You are surprised Indeed
We live inside big music box; and you
never knew it
The fact is these musical notes blend
together about Us in vast harmony,
that lulls our sense of hearing instead of
quickening it. | am sure our hearing
needs great deal more education than it
generally gets. Ii you try you can sep
irate the sounds tlat now you discover,
md pick out the different instruments in
The orchestra. Plainly enough | was
right, that working and eating do not
predominant as empl0yments Of the insect
world. Here is a cluster of humble OF
humble bees bent on sport, as you can
see. Flies dance about in circles under
hat apple limb, and are playing at some
game, quite like tag There Is a very
soft and gentle murmur of their wings
hardly audible. They have no other
musical instruments, but | am quite sure
hey enjoy not only the motion, but the |
sound. Cricke;s, however, are real musi |
ians, using their wing covers as instru
nents. When he wishes to pipe the |
ricket raises these covers and moves |
hem together lengthwise, 50 that they |
work as a boys cornstalI fiddle works. | |
onfess the music is not sweet but it is |
letter than a Scottish bagpipe or a hurdy |
rIrdy But the fun Of cricket's music |
5 in its element of yentriioquism
hould like to see you select one of these
elbows just now and 80 directly to him,
flowing up his music. You will 60 half i
dozen ways before you find him Nearly
ii the insects have this power. and it is
10 doubt used in self protection.
The handsome green katydid PLAYS an
Instrument more like the sheepskin drums
t the Africans, or primitive taboret.
Il each wing cover there is a triangular
pace, over which is situated thin mem
rane The opening and shutting of the
ring covers more or less rapidly, pro
uces the notes that sound like katy did
)nly once in awhile there is as distinct
ATTY didn't Perhaps both are true.
ricketts, and katydids of both sexes are
and all night long are to be
card calling and responding like the
hepherd boys Of eastern lands. The
lcadas are musical only in the male sex,
nd that is quite enough; orif both sexes
ould beat the kettle drums we should be
inned deaf with the noise On their
Ides are membranes plated over each
Their and covering hollows. These are
eaten with cords that relax and contract
5 boys pull rubber bands in contact with
resounding material. These fellows
eep it up all day, however, and as they
re- abundant there is no lack of their
Iusic.
have by no means recounted all the |
usical instruments one can hear at mid
ly or # evenings in July or August.
ANY of the tiny bugs have power to
nit singing sounds. From the greatest
the least forms of life there is some
ay of expressing emotion. So like to
t on these hillocks of hay and listen
Ist listen 1t is love that, after all, fills
iture and gives voice to it, Only when
We fails some harsh shrek indicates the
essence of hate. Have | forgotten the
og and the tree toad2 BY no means;
I'd you need not recall them with
leer A frog is gentleman every way,
I'd his music is far from being despicable
early spring it is truly delightful to
,ar tho first cry from the pools Ii is | ,