HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 27 



The collection contains bamboo flutes from Egypt, Korea, China, 

 Ceylon, Syria, Peru, Java, British Guiana, and Sumatra, the East 

 Indies, and the Fiji Archipelago, as well as cane flutes from the 

 Yaqui Indians of Mexico and the Mohave, Pima, Apache, and 

 Cocopa Indians of the United States. 



An interesting specimen of a direct bass flute (255713, pi. 16a 7 ) 

 from Yokohama, was obtained from Mrs. James M. Flint. It con- 

 sists of four joints of a section of cane. The lower joint, showing 

 the starting of the roots, is slightly curved and a hole is bored 

 through the solid part into the natural cavity. 



A remarkable collection of cane flutes played by the nose was 

 brought from the Fiji Islands about the year 1840 by the Wilkes 

 Exploring Expedition. Several are ornamented with designs in 

 charred lines. The finger holes are 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 in number. A 

 particularly interesting instrument (23939) is from the Fiji Islands 

 and has two prongs, resembling leaves of corn. Similar specimens 

 are exhibited from Samoa and the Tahiti Society Islands. 



VERTICAL FLUTES AND FLAGEOLETS 



The European flute of the Middle Ages was the flute a bee, which 

 received its name from the resemblance of the mouthpiece to a 

 bird's beak. It was a Apple flute and had the same general form as 

 the flute of the American Indians. The most familiar example of 

 this flute is the recorder, made in England. The only recorder flute 

 in the collection is 214487, said to have been made in England early 

 in the eighteenth century. It is made of turned cherry in three 

 joints with two bone ferrules. It has seven finger holes and a thumb 

 hole. The bore is conical, largest at the upper end. The tone of 

 recorders is described as " solemn and sweet," and the series com- 

 prised four instruments, the discant, alto, tenor, and bass. This form 

 of instrument was superseded by the transverse flute, and its only 

 descendant was the flageolet, which is still common as a toy 

 instrument. 



No music of importance has been composed for the flageolet, and 

 it does not appear on orchestral scores. 



A true flageolet has four finger holes and two thumb holes. The 

 present collection shows a "D flageolet" of a French model (55637, 

 pi. 16a), and an Italian flageolet (95044) with seven finger holes, 

 collected by Dr. G. Brown Goode. A Javanese flageolet is 95667. 



Double flageolets were also used in the nineteenth century. Engel 

 states that " in 1819 Bainbridge took out a patent for the construc- 

 tion of double flageolets." The Museum is fortunate in possessing 

 a double flageolet stamped with the name of " Hastrick," who is said 

 to have been a son-in-law of Bainbridge and who manufactured 



