HEARING. 245 



ned playing upon his instrument. At first he was 

 petrified with astonishment, when, having ceased 

 to play, the assembly of animals immediately broke 

 up. Having a great dislike to vermin, it was two 

 days before he ventured to touch the instrument ; 

 but having mustered courage to conquer his dislike, 

 he recommenced his concert, when the assembly 

 was by far more numerous than at first ; and, in the 

 course of farther time, he found himself surrounded 

 by a hundred of these animal amateurs. 



M. Marville has given the following curious de- 

 tails on this subject. Doubting, he tells us, the 

 truth of those who say it is natural for us to love 

 music, especially the sound of instruments, and that 

 beasts themselves are touched with it, being one 

 day in the country he made his observations, while 

 a man was playing on a conch shell, upon a cat, a 

 dog, a horse, an ass, a hind, cows, small birds, and 

 some barndoor fowls in a yard under the window on 

 which he was leaning. He did not perceive that 

 the cat was in the least affected, and he even judg- 

 ed by her air that she would have given all the mu- 

 sical instruments in the world for a mouse, for she 

 slept all the while unmoved in the sun ; the horse 

 stopped short from time to time before the window, 

 raising his head up now and then, as he was feed- 

 ing on the grass ; the dog continued for above an 

 hour seated on his hind legs, looking steadfastly at 

 the player ; and the ass did not discover the least 

 indication of his being touched, eating his thistles 

 very peaceably ; the hind lifted up her large wide 

 ears, and seemed very attentive ; the cows slept a 

 little, and after gazing a while went forward; some 

 little birds which were in an aviary, and others on 

 trees and bushes, almost tore their little throats with 

 singing; but the cock minding his hens, and the 

 hens solely employed in scraping in a neighbouring 

 dunghill, did not show in any manner that they took 

 the least pleasure in hearing the music. 

 X2 



