Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02
BY JOHN WARREN

pet, all horses, as though by hereditary in
stinct, have displayed partiality for martial
music. They are fond of music of all sorts;
but the blare of brass is more to their liking
than the signing of violins. Equine musical
acuteness IS shown by the rapidity with
which cavalry horses learn the significance
of trumpet calls on the drill field.
THE big hulking elephant would scarcely
be suspected of refined musical taste; but
the pachyderm is a most exacting critic. He
has little liking for the brass section of the
orchestra; but he would give up one of his
ivory tusks for the delight of a bassoon solo.
This deep-toned reed is his favorite, and he
will listen to it by the hour. Some years ago
curious Frenchman, who tried the ex-
pertinent of playing string quartets to ele
plants, discovered that they were most
pleased by andante movements. Who says
now that the elephant is not romantic?o
Circus men have learned that elephants
will not walk into the arena peaceably I'M
less a stately march is played for them, and
they will not be on their good behavior if
music of frivolous character is played dur
ing their act AS a result circus band
masters usually arrange a Wagnerian pot
pourri for the act of what TOdy Hamilton
was wont to term the "phalanx of pom
derous, playful paChydermS.
Circus bandmasters become well &C
quainted with the musical idiosyncrasies of
inhabitants of the menagerie tent. 1t is
their experience that the most nasty tenn
pered brute, always excepting the ghoulish
hyena, can be Gained by soothing music.
Tigers are not very susceptible; but they
will sit quietly when a pleasing melody is
played softly. Leopards are the only felines
that display musical interest. They caper
with delight to lively tune and snarl to
slow music. Lions are great music lovers.
They will sit motionless for hours and listen
with every evidence of pleasure to smooth
flowing melody. But rapid or broken
rhythms will make them pace their cage i'm
patiently, while discord will evoke growls
of angry protest.
So marked is the sensibility of reptiles to
music, that 1t is strange it has not invited
scientific investigation. The RATHER or the
hooded cobra at the first notes of flute will
partly raise itself from the ground and sway
to and fro in rhythm with the music 1t is
claimed that all venomous reptiles are 50
affected by the notes of a reed or pipe in
strument that they can be handled with
impunity while in this charmed state. Liz
ards will come from their hiding places by
hundreds at the sound of a flute, and saw
ages who hunt them for food charm them by
whistling. While under the spell of the
music they make no attempt to escape
Music will make the industrious spider
stop spinning to listen. The story of
Gretry the composer and his pet spider,
which came out every day and sat for
hours on his harpsichord when he was COM
posing, is a musical classic. Mice are sim
ilarly affected, and recent experiments have
demonstrated that fish are strongly at
tracted by musical sounds.
NATURALLY the bird world is full of
music lovers. With most songbirds, the
music of others, feathered or human, stimu-
lates them to brave efforts at rivalry But the
nightingale, the sweetest of all singers, can
be SO ravshed by the music of flute that
it will fall to the ground and lie painting in an
ecstatic swoon. Strangely enough, pigeons,
which are denied the gift of song, are keenly
alive to musical impressions. There is we'll
authenticated story about the pet pigeon of
one Bertoni, singing master of Venice.
The bird would sit for hours on its masters
piano, preening itself and swelling out its
bosom with delight, while the singing was
going on. Eventually it had to be ban
ished during lesson hours, as its ear was SO
true and its expressions of displeast1re SO
pronounced when pupil varied in the
slightest from the key that Bertoni's pa