The Crittenden record. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1904-1907, 1906-08-03
MOUSE SAAGL|KE BIRD
STRANGE LIKING OF LITTLE
RODENTS FOR MUSIC.
kentueklan Tells Of Tuneful Melody
Which Issued from Throat OF His
Tiny Midnight Visitor
Story Of an orgsnist

Kansas City, Mo-Seyeral years
ago 4 singing mouse" lived In my IN.
TIERS library. said Dr. James Weir.
OF greensboro, KY, recently. II was
my privilege to hear this little mu.
stefan on several occasions My ia.
Their was In the habit OF taking lunch
about II o'clock At night and he
would invariably throw the crumbs
to his tiny visitor, Shortly before
lunch time the mouse would make It's
appearance, and, sitting erect on its
launches. begin It's tuneful little song.
use the word tuneful adylsedly. for
there was a great deal Of melody In
the simple theme which made up this
creatures musical effort
rs song In timbre. bore some re.
semblance Ia that Of the canary.
There were however, no cadcnzas.
though | noticed passages In which
there were both ascending and de
scen6 scales Of four notes There was
also considerable trllling. which made
the song the most bIrdlike In charac.
ter
Not long since "A singing mouse took
up lis abode beneath the mantelpiecc
In my bedroom heard II sing ON
numerous occasions but its song was
not No pleasing. nor was II 80 well
rendered as that OF my fathers little
songHter.
Mice frequently show that they are
influenced by music The orranIst OF
tho First Presbyterian church Of
greensboro. Ky. gave mo a remark.
able instance Of this fac, In relating
DIS experience with a music loving
mouse. he said
When ! lived IN Cuba. n Y. a
mouse dwclt beneath bookcase In
my music room. and often performed
tic following experiment Seating
myself al The plano. would begin boa.
proUsing softly In q few moments
thc mouse would come from beneath
The bookcase. approach the center Of
me- room and standing on ~ hind
feet. listen iutensiy 20 the music a
loud chord on the plano would SEM II
-camp"rinF away 10 Ia home.
would then resume my planIssImo lm
prousation and the mouse would soon
return tn IT, former station near the
center u the room. only 10 vanish
arain M soon ~ the loud chords we're
struck
A celebrated yiollnlsi once told m,
that. owing 10 HIS poverty he had
been compelled at one period of his
life. 10 dscll in an old and dllgpidatcd
house which fairly sVarmcl With rats
He noticed that these animals we're
peculiarly susceptible 90 minor
chords or 10 competitions PLACED 10
minors. and that auick. lively music
would brine them forth from their
lurtlng places In great numbers A
foV abrupt dissonant chords would
Invariably. send them scurryinF 90
their holes"
A yioiInisi NJ Louisville Nv. Mr.
Kari nencdlk. Informed the that he
repeatedly noticed that several mice.
which lived To- his rom. wcr. inGu
oucrd hy the music of his violin In
experimenting with them be- dlscoy.
erred that when he played an nndantc
movement planissimn. they appeared
90 listen with pleasure. but when he
played an allegro In quick tempo and
forte they would Immediately run
lvay.
The legend ~ The Pied Piper ~
liamelln" Il by no means confined TO
Europe II appears. In some form or
other. In the myths and folk lore tales
" certain AsiAtio races. Of the Taglas
and Dyaks. aud ~ several tribes %
The Malayan archipelago. thus show
Ing that almost everywhere mice and
rats are found people have noticed
that they are Influenced by music