VENTRILOQUISM. 



ing completely round, we find that the sound is 

 then loudest for the other ear, we judge that it 

 comes from that side. This, however, is not 

 being told the direction by the ear. The ear 

 tells us only when the sound is most intense, 

 being a good judge of intensity, and the reason 

 then judges by our position of the direction of 

 the sound. 



Similarly the ear is no judge of distance. 

 The following cases, both of which came 

 within the author's personal experience, will 

 illustrate this. 



Two men were in a large bedroom, their 

 beds being about three yards apart. In the 

 stillness of the night one of them heard a slight 

 sound, as of someone stepping stealthily on 

 the gravel drive, which came close under the 

 windows, then pausing a short time as if listen- 

 ing or looking into windows, and afterwards 

 going stealthily on again. He asked his friend 

 if he heard someone creeping over the gravel, 

 and, receiving an affirmative reply, went to 

 one of the windows and looked out and lis- 

 tened. He neither heard nor saw anything, 

 and went back to bed. The same thing hap- 

 pened again, and with the same result. On 

 hearing the sound a third time, he rushed to the 

 window, threw it open quickly, and leaning out 

 to look round, called out a challenge. Nothing 

 could be seen or heard, and on closing the 

 window once more he listened very carefully 



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