HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 25 



is similar except for the decorations. A specimen from the interior 

 of Sumatra (128014) is longer and has four small finger holes and 

 a thumb hole made with a hot iron. In several flutes the upper 

 end is beveled, forming a sharp edge against which the wind is made 

 to impinge. Such specimens are 95727 from Ceylon, which has 

 six finger holes and is ornamented with lines filled with black pig- 

 ment, and 95696, which has six finger holes arranged in groups of 

 three. The latter is from Damascus. Nos. 95695 and 95150 are also 

 from Syria. An interesting flute of this type is from Morocco 

 (95760). It is decorated with incised lines and patterns, and to it 

 are attached a small bag, a copper coin, and strings of corals. A 

 direct flute from Bulgaria is 95672 (pi. 15e). 



The first advance in the making of flutes consisted in cutting a 

 V-shaped notch in the open edge of the top of the pipe, which facili- 

 tated the production of sound. This peculiarity is found in ancient 

 Chinese flutes, an excellent example being 54061 (pi. 15a). This 

 is among the valuable articles given to the Museum in 1876 by the 

 Chinese Imperial Centennial Commission. The two holes at the 

 base are for an ornamental cord and tassels. A small flute from 

 Korea has a semicircular notch in the upper edge (95618). 



Next in point of development came the idea of partly filling up 

 or plugging the open upper end of the tube and cutting an opening 

 with a sharp edge a little lower down, as in the ordinary whistle. The 

 breath is directed in a thin stream against this lower edge. This 

 principle was known to the Greeks and is seen in ancient Hindu 

 sculptures. The number of finger holes at first was 2, 3, or 4, but the 

 number was afterwards increased to £ or 8, with a thumb hole at the 

 back. Numerous examples of this type of flute are in the collection. 



In order that the air stream might be flat in form when it im- 

 pinged on the sharp edge of the sound hole, a block was placed 

 inside the flute. This was the " Apple " which characterized a large 

 ela.ss of flutes, including the flute a bee, recorder, and flageolet. It 

 will be seen that the block divided the flute into two parts, the air 

 being blown into a cavity from which it issued in a flat stream 

 against the sharp edge or lip of the sound hole. 



The American Indians constructed their flutes, both of cane and 

 wood, on this general principle, an example of this being 27844 

 (pi. 15c), from southern Arizona, described as follows by Mr. 

 Hawley : 



A section of cane forming two tubes separated by a joint. Two holes were 

 made from the outside into the cavity with the unbroken septum of the joint 

 between them. A groove is made on the outside from one hole to the other. 

 Covering the upper hole and the groove with a bandage and blowing in the 

 upper tube, the bandage directs the wind from the upper hole against the 

 lower edge of the lower hole, producing a sound like a whistle. The lower tube 

 has tbree finger holes. 



