OBSERVATIONS ON VENTRILOQUISM. 125 



Upon this which conftitutes the fupplementary part of the 

 prefent eflay, I (hall copy my author without farther abridge- 

 ment or feleftion, page 644. 



" Any perfon who has had occafion to walk along a valley Inftance of the 

 obflruded with buildings, at the time that a peal of bells was ^/dteaionf/ 

 ringing in it, will afTent to the truth of the circumfrance here the found of 

 alluded to *. For the found of the bells inftead of arriving bel,s# 

 conftantly, at the ears of a perfon fo fituated, in its true direc- 

 tion, is frequently reflected in a fhort time from two or three 

 different places. Thefe deceptions are in many cafes fo much 

 diverfified by the fucceffive interpolations of frefh objects, that 

 the fteeple appears, in the hearer's judgment, to perform the 

 part of an expert ventriloquift on a theatre, the extent of 

 which is adapted to its own powers, and not to thofe of the 

 human voice. 



" The phenomenon has often attracted my attention; and Thlseffe&is 

 the fimilarity of effed which conneas it with ventriloquifm, ^riio^fm.^ 

 convinces me every time I hear it, that what we know to be 

 the caufe in one inftance is alfo the caufe in the other : I mean 

 that the echo readies the ear, while the original found is in- 

 tercepted by accident in the cafe of the bells, but by art in the 

 cafe of the ventriloquift. In order that the caufe which gives 

 rife to the amufing tricks of this uncommon talent may be 

 pointed out with the greater clearnefs, it will be proper to 

 defcribe certain circumftances that take place in the aft of 

 fpeaking, becaufe the fkill of the ventriloquift feems to confift 

 in a peculiar management of them. Articulation is the art of 

 modifying the found of the larynx, by the afliftance of the 

 cavity of the mouth, the tongue, teeth, and lips. The dif- 

 ferent vibrations, which are excited by the joint operation of 

 the feveral organs in action, pafs along the bones and carti- 

 lages, from the parts in motion to the external teguments of 

 the head, face, neck, and cheft ; from which, a fucceffion of The human 

 iimilar vibrations is imparted to the contiguous air, thereby ^ueVrom the' 

 converting the fuperior moiety of the fpeaker's body into an mouth only, 

 extentive teat of found, contrary to general opinion, which 

 iuppofes the paflage of the voice to be confined to the opening 



* Viz. that a fudden change of direction in found will be per- 

 ceived when the original communication is intercepted, provided 

 there be a fenfible echo,---N. 



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