74 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1914. 



A considerable collection of casts of Greco-Roman sculptures, in- 

 cluding statues and busts of the divinities, as also votive and sepul- 

 chral steles and tablets and bas-reliefs depicting mythological scenes, 

 is exhibited in the new building of the Museum in connection with the 

 display by the division of archeology. 



MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



One of the most popular and intei-esting of the subjects embodied 

 in the classification of 1881 is that relating to instruments of music, 

 of which a ver}^ good presentation, comprising examples from both 

 aboriginal and civilized peoples, was soon effected. The collection 

 now illustrates fajrly well the range and development of these in- 

 struments and ranks among the best and most comprehensive in this 

 country. In fact, in many instances, especially as to scientific ar- 

 rangement, it has been used as a prototype by other museums. After 

 occupying for a long period the wall cases in the north hall, under 

 unfavorable conditions, it was transferred near the close of last 

 year to the northwest court, where the collection as a whole, as well 

 as the individual pieces, may be studied more advantageously. The 

 new installation is in the deep and practically continuous wall case, 

 which surrounds the court, broken only at the entrance and in the 

 middle of the opposite side of the room, the latter for the insertion 

 of one large piece of the series. With only table cases on the adjacent 

 parts of the floor, the general view is unobstructed and the lighting 

 excellent. The number of instruments displayed is about 1,200, but 

 there are still others in storage. 



The classification, based upon the structure of the instruments, 

 which determines the character of the sound-producing vibrations, 

 is in four general divisions. The arrangement of the collection be- 

 gins on the left of the entrance and is continued systematically with 

 but a single exception. The first division comprises the vibrating 

 sonorous instruments, such as bells, castanets, c^^mbals, gongs, musi- 

 cal glasses, rattles, triangles, tuning forks, vibrating tongues, and 

 xylophones. In the second division are comprehended the vibrat- 

 ing membranes, as in the drums and tambourines. Vibrating strings 

 of gut, fiber, or wire compose the third division, which is subdivided 

 into open and stopped strings. In the former — the harp, for exam- 

 ple — the string can have but one tone in plajdng, while in the latter 

 the tone may be changed by means of the fingerboard. There are 

 also further subdivisions, according to the method of producing the 

 vibrations. Strings may be rubbed with a bow, as with fiddles, or 

 rubbed by a wheel, as with hurdy-gurdies, or picked or plucked, as 

 with harps, lyres, psalteries, lutes, guitars, and banjos. Spinets and 

 harpsichords are plucked by means of mechanism connected to a 

 keyboard, dulcimers are plucked by striking with hammers, and 



