The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-01-20
ARE ANIMALS MUSICAL.
Wild Animals Enjoy Music More Than
Dnmcsticated OnadrunedS.

DOmcsticated 0uadrupeds.
1t is curious question, but are ami
mails musical ? Decidedly they are,
answers Mr. Frederick Whymper, who
contributes an interesting paper on the
question to the animals Guardian. The
keeper of menagerie was once asked
whether the band had any effect on the
animals. ITO be sure it does. said he;
they like it, and it does them good.
If you were to come in and look at them
in the morning, when the band is away
perambulating the town, you would SEQ
many of them, the more savage beasts
in particular, dull and moping, and
either sitting or lying in their dens.
We who travel with wild beasts can not,
of course. give them the room they ought
to have; and, being criDbed up in show
boxes, they degenerate for want of ex-
ercise, do what we will with them. But
it would be very much worse, I reckon,
if it were not for the music. When
they hear the band strike up, they
rouse themselves, and begin taking
what exercise they can, the beast of
prey by walking backwards and for
wards, and the others by repeating the
movements natural to them when at
liberty. The birds will begin to chat
fer and plume themselves at the sound;
and even the snakes, at times, will uncoil
and rear up, and convince the people,
who sometimes seem to doubt the fact,
that they are living creatures"
| Dogs, as is we'll known, are often
taught to dance to violin, pipe, or drum,
and even to grind barrel-organs. In the
latter case they very properly look ex-
tremely serious. But judicious dog
finds a harmonium even more trying. A
writer records case of dog-a cross
between Scotch and Skye terrier
who would come close to harmonium
and evidently enjoy the music, up to a
certain point. But when shrill note
came from that instrument of torture,
he would point his nose in the air at an
angle of about forty degrees, and, stiff
fening his body in a straight line from
the nostrils to the tail, emit the same
note, in manner which indicated his
displeasure, and sustain it as long as did
the performer. That artist generally,
in fact, gave way first. Another dog
gave excellent service, it seems, in this
fashion: A friend of the writer's whose
vocal efforts were not calculated to in
spire any special respect for either his
abilities or education, had an old dog,
quiet, sedate, and sleepy. which could
be reused to something approaching
fury when his master's Derformances
commenced in its presence. The ex.
preston " commenced" is used advis-
edly, for those songs were never finished,
and, indeed, rarely got beyond the bar
raised against the bars of the executant
by the dismal bowling of that intelli-
gent quadruped. For executant' read
murderer. The family had an in
tense regard for that dog.
Cats, we are told, have little natural
liking for music; but the taste can be
acquired. A certain pet cat, though as
kitten Indifferent to music, grew to
like it, and regularly led the way to the
piano when tea was over. Here she
took post on chair, and listened
gravely during the whole performance.
When it ceased, she would go to sleep,
though not if the instrument was left
open,in which case puss instantly leaped
on the keys, and paved performance
of her own, in which she showed an ex-
treme partiality for the treble notes, and
something like alarm at the lower bass
notes when she happened to give them
an extra vigorous kick.