Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-02
HORSES LIKE MUSIC.
Interesting Experiments Made With Mil
itary Horses and Bugle Calls.

Interesting Experiments Made With Mil
itary Horses and Bugle Calls.
| Experiments have been made in Lippe
and Westphalia to ascertain whether mill
! tary horses understand the bugle calls.
The committee appointed has come to the
conclusion that the animals have no clear
comprehension OF the meaning of these
sounds, as a whole troop of riderless cav
airy horses remained quite unmoved by
| the different bugle calls. On the contrary,
| however, the following authentic story is
told of the sagacity of military horses:
In the year 1872, during skirmish with
the Sioux Indians, the Third Cavalry Regi-
ment had formed an encampment in the
valley of Niobrara, on the southern border
of Dakota. At nightfall the horses were
tethered by long line to the ground.
Toward daybreak a violent storm of rain
and hail burst over the valley. The terri
fed animals broke loose from their fasten-
ing, and in their fright tore away up the
steep sides of the valley into the territory
of the enemy. Without horses, at the
mercy of the enemy, we should be lost; yet
1t was impossible, in the half darkness, TO
go after them into an unknown country,
probably full of Indians. The Captain, as
a last resource, ordered the stable call to
be sounded. In few minutes every horse
had returned to the encampment and we
were saved.
1t has been proved that both horses and
dogs have. good ears for music, particularly
dogs, who have been known to whine
piteously at certain passages, while at
others they evince their delight and en-
joyment by licking the performers hand
and begging him to repeat them. Accord
ing to Aristotle, the flute is the favorite
instrument Of the horse. The Sybarites
taught their horses to dance to the music
of flutes. This accomplishment proved a
serious drawback, for upon one occasion,
when at war, and the inhabitants of the
luxurious city were about to charge their
enemy, their opponents remained station
airy, each man producing flute and COM
mencing to play upon it. The horses of
the Sybarites, at the accustomed sound,
Immediately began to caper and dance in
such vigorous fashion that their owners
lost all control over them and were obliged
10 show the flag of truce.
Another story is told Of a gentleman
who was finished musician, and who re-
sided some years ago at Darmstadt. He
kept dog, which was the terror of all the
singers and instrumentalists in the place,
for it had the fatal habit of raising its
face to heaven and bowling whenever
false note was emitted. 1t never made
mistake, and well-known singers were said
to tremble when they saw their unwelcome
judge, seated by his masters side, at con-
certs or at the opera, for MAX" was reg
ular frst-nighter and a great friend of the
theater director. He was never known to
miss new opera MAX" was no respecter
of persons, and when the singing was but
shade out he would attract the atten-
tion of the whole audience to it with
terrific howl. One tenor went so far as
to refuse to sing unless the dog was re-
moved; but MAX" was so great favorite
with the Darmstadt public, and such
well-known frequenter, that the singer
might as we'll have requested to have the
director himself removed from the stalls,
and he was obliged to give in with as good
grace as possible. The dogs master
stated that he had trained him, when he
was puppy, by striking him hard when
any one sang or played a wrong note; later
on he tapped him gently; then he had
only to look at him, and by the time ne
was three years old the dog was as good
Judge as his master OF false note.-N Y.
Sporting World.