Wichita eagle., 1888-08-26
ANIMALS IND MUSIC.
TIE TpNEfuLNESS or TINY LOlTER-
ERS OF A SUMMERS DAY.

ERS OF A SUMmEhS OSIs
Musical Taste Of Isirds--Orchestna Of an
Aueust Afternoon-soft Sounds to BE
Heard in tho Hayfeld --Crickets and
Katydids.
Some animalt abhor music, at least
some music but most animals love music.
A cow likes nothing better than singing
and whistlipg, and her milk flows gladly
for chap that will sing to her, as she
turns her head and kisses him with her
tongue A dog, so far as know. hates
music, except singing and whistiiag. A
piano sets him on edge, and drum Or fife
makes 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 q
fire engine. know Of no decent music
that he dislikes. Cats, unlike dogs, ike
pianos and organs. OF course, we un-
derstand that nearly all birds have some
musical taste, although few have real
skill. know of but two real masters OF
song in our northern states, the bobol1nk
and catbird; although there are many
more really sweet singers: The liquid.
slvery notes of the bobolink are like the
dew of the early, pure morning. One oil.
ways associates them with waterfalls and
the music of silver instruments. But the
catbird Is the marvel Of all musicians.
He is able 10 do about what he will.
But what led me to sit down to write
was the music of the inseds-''tiny
loiterers of summers day" 1t is mis-
fnH 70 hn
these dipteras and hymenopteras Is eating
and working-it is making music. You
should 90 out III haying time and itdown
on q cock of hay in the middle OF the day;
and then again in the evening. and you
will, if you give yourself to listening,
| have revealed to you new world. NO,
you must not be thinking of other things.
Close your eyes and lay your head back On
the sweet hay. Therel Are you not now
conscious of several stratas Of music,
reaching far up into the sky? The upper
| air is full of bees-hornets in part, 1t may
be-and there are 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 O number OF cr1ckefs.
katydids and other music makers. Now
you must open your ears as carefully as
you close your eyes, and listen attentiVely;
for l 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, I am sure our hearing
needs great deal more education than it
generally gets. II you try you can sep
arate the sounds that now you discover,
and pick out the different instruments in
the orchestra. Plainly enough was
right, that working and eating do not
predominate as employments Of the insect
world. Here is a cluster of humble or
humble bees, bent on sport, as you can
see Flies dance about in circles under
that apple limb, and are playing at some
game, quite like tag. There is very
soft and gentle nurmur of their wings,
hardly audible. They have no other
musical instruments, but am quite sure
they enjoy not only the motion, but the
sound. Crickets, however, arc real mr1si-
clans, using their wing covers as insfru-
ments. When he wishes to pipe the
cricket raises these covers and moves
them together lengthwise, SO that they
work as boys cornstalk fiddle works. l
confess the music is not sweet, but it is
better than.a Scottish bagpi2e or hurcy
gurdy. But the fun Of cricket's EIusic
is in its element of ventriloquism.
should like to see you select one of these
fellows just now and 60 directly to him,
following up his music. You will go half
dozen ways before you find him. Nearly
ell the insects have this power. and it is
no don ut rsed in sa1f nrOfectiOD
The handsome green katydid plays an
instrument more like the sheepskin drums
Of the Africans, or primitive taboVet.
In each wing cover there is triangular |
space. over which is situated thin mem |
BRAKE. The opening and shutting OF tte |
wing covers, moro or less rapidly, pro- |
duces the notes that sound like katy did. |
Only once in awhile there is as distinct |
katy didn't. Perhaps both arc true |
Crickets and katydids of both sexes are !
musicians, and all night long are to be
heard calling and responding like the
shepherd boys of eastern lands. The |
cicadas are musical only in the male sex,
and that is quite enough; for if both sexes
could beat the kettle drums we should b |
dinned deaf with the noise. On their |
sides are membranes plated over each
other end covering hollows. These are
beaten with cords that relax and contract
as boys pull rubber bands in contact with
a resounding material These fellows
keep it up all dhy. however, and as they
are abundant there is no lack Of their
music
have By no means recounted oil the
musical instruments one can hear at mid
day or Of evenings In July OF August
Many Of the tiny bugs have power to
emit singing Sounds. From the greatest
to the least forms Of life there Is some
way Of expressing emotion So like to
sit on these hillocks Of hay and listen
just listen. 1t Is love that, after all, fills
nature and gives voice to it. Only when
love fails some harsh Shrek indicates the
presence Of hate. Have I forgotten the
frog and the tree toad! BY no means;
and you need not recall them with
sneer. A frog is gentleman every way,
and his music is far from being desVicabae.
In early spring it is truly delightful to
hear the first cry from tho pools. It is
thin and watery and full Of Inquiry, but
It means spring snd green grass and
fowers.-Mary E Spencer IN Globe
Democrat.
The Eduoofion Of Children.
Children in Kentucky arc precocsons.