82 BULLETIN 136, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



shell as its body. The belly is of rawhide, the edges gathered to- 

 gether with a rawhide thong and laced with a thong across the back. 

 Special attention is directed to the manner in which this instrument 

 is strung and tuned. The three gut strings are attached at one end 

 to leather thongs tied around the neck of the instrument, and are 

 tuned by slipping these thongs up and down the neck. Stuck in 

 the upper end of the neck is a feather-shaped ornament of wrought 

 iron, its edges pierced with small holes in which are hung rings 

 of wire. 



A curious instrument from Singapore is 95068. It has a boat- 

 shaped body, the long projecting prow forming the neck. This 

 was hollowed out and a back of thin wood lashed to it with a compli- 

 cated lashing of split rattan. It is strung with two brass wires. 



From Mozambique, Africa, we have 94662, which has two strings, 

 one passing over frets and the other along the side of the bar. 

 The instrument has a gourd resonator. 



An interesting native instrument from Kongo, Africa, is 174756. 

 It has a spoon-shaped body and a belly of thin skin fastened with 

 wooden pegs, while the cavity of the neck is covered with a thin 

 board of light-colored wood. It has three strings of vegetable 

 fiber. The bridge is missing. 



One of the most interesting primitive instruments in this class 

 is 95749, from Tangiers, having a trough-shaped body made from a 

 block of wood. The belly is rawhide stretched over the body, 

 sides, and edges, and laced across the back with a rawhide thong. 

 It has three gut strings, fastened at one end to three prongs and 

 at the other to leather thongs wound and tied around the neck. 

 Transverse holes are made in the neck, from which are hung shells, 

 strings of cloves, beads of all kinds, and two bags made of silk patch- 

 work. From the end of the neck projects a wrought-iron feather 

 with brass rings along the sides. With the instrument are two 

 porcupine quills, which were probably used as plectra. The belly 

 is made taut by forcing small bits of wood between the lacing and 

 the body. 



The evolution of the guitar will now be traced. It differs from 

 the mandolin and kindred instruments in having a flat back, as well 

 as in its general outline. The cither is probably the earliest in- 

 strument that resembles the modern guitar. A Venetian cither of 

 the year 1760 is exhibited (95264). It has a narrow guitar-shaped 

 body and the sound hole is filled with an inverted cone of open- 

 work called the "sunken rose." This was made of parchment and 

 considered highly decorative in the eighteenth century. The finger 

 board and head of this instrument are ornamented with plates of 

 engraved ivory and the back of the neck is inlaid with ivory and 

 black diamonds. There are 14 fixed frets, 11 of metal on the finger 



