Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1908-06-10
ANlMALs THAT LIKE MUSIC.

chimpanxees' orchestra--Lions Liz
ten TO Plano. The "cat Fugue.p
The extraordinary musical sensi
tiveness OF spiders has several times
been proved. Every one has heard
OF Pellisson's spider. Consider of the
unfortunate prisoner, 1t persisted be.
cause 1t listened too closely to the
captive's violin. The jailer saw It
and crushed 1t brutally.
Gretry, the composer. speaks OF a
favorite spider which. descended along
Its thread upon his piano as soon as
he played It. When giving recitals at
Brussels Rubinstein saw large spi-
DIR issue from the floor Of the plat
form and listen to the music. He
gave three concerts at the same hall
and! on each occasion the spider ap-
peared.
'rsects in general, though less sem
sttiye to music, do not object to 1t.
Fishes betray little or no interest In
music. Everybody, on the other hand,
probably knows that music is often
used in order to attract snakes from
their hiding places.
The Indians catch siguanas In that
manner, and there is an experiment
that We can all make to demonstrate
the truth Of the matter. II violin
or piano Is played whenever there
Is a lizard visible the lizard will
stop and listen with obvious pleas
iure as ioRs-*as the-music-iasts
1t is well known fact that in
those countries where oxen are used
for labor they take great pleasure
in the singing Of their driver. They
work better at the plough when stir
red by a cheerful song. Arabs sing
to their camels during long Jour
neys across the desest.
Horses are particularly sensitive to
music. Guenoe. who carefully studied
the matter, quotes the following Curl
Gus fact: In 1892 the Fifty-eight
Regiment OF Infantry was making a
military test march when the music
struck up. The young horse OF Capt.
De Rhastened forward and placed
itself. in spite Of its rider, behind the
last rank Of the musicians. Then
It followed peacefully, giving obvious
signs OF pleasure.
When the music ceased the Cap.
tain was able to; resume. his place
at tho head Of his company, but the
band struck up again, and the horse,
notwithstanding the efforts of Capt.
DE r., galloped ahead and once
more placed itself behind the mus.
icians. This happened every time the
band played"
Lions have been found to listen
with marked Joy to the piano. They
appreciate the tco notes and the me-
dunn, but roar terribly when the
bass keys are struck loudly.
Scarlatti, the Italian composer.
owned a cat which loved to walk
on the keys of plano and struck
certain notes In preference to others.
The composer took those notes as the
theme Of one OF his fugues, which,
for that reason, received the name
Of THE Cat Fugue." have seen
many cats walk up and down the key
board, showing obvious pleasure at
the sound thus produced.
The writer knows OF dog that
will listen intently and silently to all
melodies. but displays every symp-
tom Of pain and agony at the sound
of a chromatic scale. This dog be.
comes quiet as soon as the melody
is again taken up 1t is only the
succession OF semitones which makes
so extraordinary an Impression up.
on 1t. j know of another dog which
~ fond OF organ music but walls ter
ribly as socn as the Vox Celeste stop
is used.
II one wished to make serious ex.
periments in musical psychology the
dog would no doubt prove the most
Interesting study, and the monkey.
too. would be fascinating. Darwin
mentions a gibbon which was able 10
sing a complete octave, and 1t is
known that black chimpanzees will
gather to the number OF from twenty
to fifty and form kind OF orchestra,
beating pieces OF hollow wood with
sticks for their own pleasure-M.
Daubresse In La Revue.
b g