Morning journal and courier., 1891-10-23
ssMUSIC HATH POWER, 5,

A scientific gentleman in London the | other day took his fiddle to the Geological l Garden and tried it on the wild animals there. The two grizzly bears at the first chord struck assumed at once an air of the most comic and critical attention, each with it's head on one side and it's paws | clasping the bars. A sudden discord made | both bears start back, and the lively tune of ''The Keel Row" set them walking up and down the cage. In the lion house ev- cry head turned to the first sound of the violin; as the strains continued the largest lion, to whom the music was more partic- ularly addressed, began to wave the black lioness which had been asleep in the inner cage walked straight out towards the violin and tried to push the lion from it's front seat. On the other hand the wolves were frightened. The common European wolf set up Its back, and drew back its lips into fixed and hideous sheer, showing all it's teeth to the gums, with it's tail between it's legs. The Indian wolf showed signs of extreme and abject fear. It trembled violently, it's fur was erected, and covering down till its body almost touched the ground, it re- treated to the furthest corner of it's cage. When the music was played at the back of the cage, where the musician was invisible, it's alarm was in no degree abated. It crept to the door to listen, and then sprang back Lor of the cage, and so continued in alternate spasms of curiosity and fear. The jsckals and some of the wilder foxes were only less alarmed than the wolves. The female jackals ran back to their inner den and hid themselves. The male erected it's fur un- til it appeared as rough as an Esquimau dog, and crept backwards and forwards with his lips curled back, opening and shutting it's mouth, growing whenever discordant note was struck. The scene at this time was extremely amusing. The prairie wolves next door sat down to listen, the African jaokals sat on a shelf and watch ed, and the performance was overlooked from distance by 8 nervous but highly interested row of foxes of various sizes and colors, all sitting on the party walls which divide their cages from the wolves and dingoes. It was like a picture from an illustrated edition of Hsop's Fables" The foxes in the large cages came forward readily to listen to the music, though the
 usual experiment of striking discord
 startled them greatly. But the rough fox from Demerara, in small cage behind ! the building, was so violently alarmed | that the keeper requested that the music
 might cease for fear the creature should
 'shave ft," to which ailment it appears
 that foxes and wolves are very subject. | Of all the animals fiddled to the seals
 alone were indifferent. Perhaps piano
 or hand organ would have moved them.
 The experiment showed that most of the
 animals were susceptible to musical
 sounds, and that a discord was immediate ly observed. The writer has seen @ mouse
 who was apparently much interested in
 music. He lived in the basement of a
 church where the Sunday school was held.
 For long time whenever the melodeon
 which stood on the platform started up
 MT. Mouse would come carefully out of
 his hiding place and after winking and
 snifing enough would glide up near the
 melodeon, and, apparently oblivious of the
 eyes directed at him, would stay quietly in
 his place till the music stopped. Then he
 would go off and stay until he heard more l ybo3 lao of :; ,,ofE
 but it is possible that the quality of the
 music finally discouraged him, for It was
 pretty bad.