HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 63 



A Chinese drum used by Buddhists in their religious ceremonies 

 is 54042, which is beaten with the hands. It is shallow, and the 

 inside flares like the mouth of a trumpet. A somewhat similar drum 

 is the Rumana, from Siam (54078). The shell is of turned wood 

 like the capitol of a Tuscan column. It has three sections of ivory 

 alternating with three of wood in its back edge. An interesting toy 

 drum from China (54037) is made of a section of bamboo painted 

 red. The pigskin head is nailed to the shell with brass-headed nails. 

 An Egyptian hand drum (95165) has a parchment head glued to 

 the shell and is played with two drumsticks. 



On the floor of the case are three drums which are open at one 

 end and have one head with a remarkably small vibrating surface. 

 They are played with a slender stick. No. 95854 has a head with a 

 vibrating surface of only 1% inches. The heavy shell is turned 

 from a block of wood and is 7 inches wide at the base and 4% 

 inches in height. The inside is flaring like the mouth of a trumpet. 

 The head is stretched over the outside of the shell and nailed with 

 two rows of large-headed iron nails. Another drum of this type 

 from China is 54050. The shell is made of four sections of wood and 

 the head has a vibrating surface of 2 inches. A third specimen 

 of the same type is from Singapore (94916) and consists of a thick 

 ring of wood bound with an iron hoop. The shell is 7 inches in 

 diameter and the vibrating surface of the head is 4% inches. 



A hand drum with one head is used extensively by the American 

 Indians. This usually consists of a wooden hoop, 11 to 18 inches or 

 more in diameter, with a cover of rawhide, either fastened to the 

 hoop or stretched over it with the corners (or thongs tied to the cor- 

 ners) crossed on the reverse side of the drum as a handhold. An ex- 

 ample of this instrument is 64346. 



An interesting drum from the Aleuts on Commander Island, 

 Alaska, is 73020, obtained in 1882 or 1883. It has an oval shell, made 

 of a hoop, the joint lapped and nailed. A handle fits over the joint 

 and is nailed with wire nails. The head is made of the bladder of a 

 fur seal. It is stretched over the hoop when green and held by being 

 forced into a groove, made in the outside of the hoop, by means of a 

 cord. A twisted sinew cord is passed four times across the head, 

 acting as a snare. 



From the Tlingits at Sitka, Alaska, we have 20732, purchased in 

 1875. The shell is a bent hoop of pine. The rawhide or thin skin 

 head is stretched over the hoop when green and fastened to the back 

 edge of the hoop with wooden pins. Two rawhide thongs are 

 stretched across the back of the hoop so as to cross at the middle. 



Two Eskimo drums with handles are exhibited, 93875 being from 

 Fort Alexander, Alaska. The shell is 17 by 18i/ 2 inches in diameter, 



