KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Oct. 2, 1885. 



MUSICAL STOSES. 



[1942] — The account of Mons. Baudry's Silex Piano in Know- 

 ledge of Sept. 4th, recalled to mv mind an exhibition to which I 

 was taken when a small child more than forty years ago. The 

 so-called Kock Harmonicon was set up either in Bond-street or in 

 Begent-street by its inventors, a father and his two sons, who were 

 the performers. As far as my recollection sen'es me, these people 

 were Welsh quarry-men, who accidentally made the discovery that 

 certain stones had musical sounds. The key-board of this instrument 

 (if one may call it such; was more than twice the width of an 

 ordinary grand piano ; it had two rows of stones, one above the 

 other, like the white and black keys of the pianoforte; each 

 performer had the command of at least one or two octaves. The 

 effect was most pleasing and sweet ; simple airs only were attempted. 

 .\t this distance of time I cannot say what was the nature of these 

 stones, but they had a greenish colour, and looked as if taken from 

 the quarry, and roughly chipped here and there. It is possible that 

 this might have been done purposely to give the exact tone 

 required. 



May I be allowed to differ from the editor of " Cosmos when he 

 states (as quoted in " La Kature ") that the flint was the first arm, 

 the first tool of pre-historic man .' 



Flint implements were, no doubt, largely used in pre-historic 

 times, but no one can possibly know whether they were the first 

 arm or the first tool of pre-historic man. Much would depend 

 upon the geological formation on whicli any particular pre-historic 

 race belonging to tlie Stone Age lived ; they would naturally use 

 any suitable stone which was near to hand ; as, for instance, 

 where the chalk formation was present we may reasonably expect 

 to find flint implements in greater numbers than those of any 

 other stone. Flint, too, has this great advantage, that it is com- 

 paratively soft and easily worked when first taken out of the 

 chalk, and hardens afterwards. Flint 

 be better adapted for one kind of v 

 whole, they would not seem to be 

 varieties. 



In Brittany, in Denmark, and in Gu 

 made of various kinds of stone, viz., of diorite, of fibrolite, of a 

 stone resembling basalt, and even of sandstone. In all three 

 localities celts have been discovered made of a material which is 

 known to exist no nearer to them than Hungary. It has been 

 conjectured that such implements were regarded by their c 

 as valuable possessions, and transported on the person to th 

 where we now find them. 



mplements would, probably, 

 ork than another: on the 

 so widely spread as other 



r, celts have been found 



Cosmopolitan. 



INSTKUMENTAL MUSIC. 

 [1943]— Referring to the remarks of "Kolokor'and yourself in 

 a late number of Knowledge on the subject of instrumental 

 music, perhaps a few hints, founded on practical experience, may 

 be of use. Accepting the limitations of " Kolokol's " conditions 

 and desires, viz., age exceeding twenty-five years, 

 knowledge of the instrument, and a wish to take part 

 music, 1 should say that with practice averaging an hi 

 twelve months (and even less) it is quite possible to att 

 execution on certain instruments to ailord a large am( 



faction to oneself, and even of pleasure to other people. The 

 pianoforte and the violin undoubtedly require a large amount of 

 practice, and to be taken up at a somewhat early age, in order to 

 attain the necessary agility of finger, but this agility is not nearly 

 -luisitein the case, say, of the viola or the violoncello for con- 



• 1 music, or the organ or harmonium for solo playing. I should re- 

 i^.cnd " Kolokol ' to try the violoncello. He may feel discouraged 



: at first, but in two or three weeks' time he will begin to feel signs 

 1 ■ 'U'ress, and in less than a year he will be able to play the bass 

 1 art in Havdii's svmphonies, and most of the 'cello part in the 

 trios and some of the quartettes; and if he never gets further than 

 that he will feel amply rewarded for his efforts. I speak from ex- 

 perience, as I was over twenty-five years of age, and busily engaged 

 all day in a solicitor's office when I first took up the cello, and in 

 less than six months I was able to join a small orchestral society, 

 and enjoyed greatly our weekly practice of Haydn's and Romberg's 

 svmphonies, varied by an occasional easy overture or other lighter 

 paece. I ought to mention, perhaps, that I was previously pretty 

 well acquainted with the bass clef through choral singing, and 1 

 could plav the harmonium in a humble way, but could never do 

 much with the piano. I have since also learnt the viola, and find 

 that a very gratifying instrument in orchestral music. The alto 

 clef is somewhat of an obstacle at first, but one soon gets used to it. 

 I can strongly recommend either of these instruments to any really 

 musical person who lias not much time for practice, and is not 

 ambitious of brilliant solo playing, but who will find plenty of scope 

 and reward in the comparatively simple (though expressive, and 

 often grand), forms and passages of the older classical music. 



1 previous 

 concerted 



1 sufficient 



THE FLYING OF FISH AND HEAVY BIRDS. 



[1944]— Induced by reading recent articles and correspondence 

 in Knowledge, I should like to make known (if it be deemed of 

 sufficient interest for its readers) the result of my observations on 

 the flying of fish and heavy birds. Referring to notes in my diary. 

 made on my first voyage to Chili, in a sailing ship, some ten year.s 

 ago, I find that I came to the conclusion that the flight of the so- 

 called flying-fish depended much (almost altogether) on the forco 

 of the wind. I took much interest in watching them from under 

 the bowsprit of the ship. I noticed that during calms they seldom 

 disported themselves above the surface of the sea, and that to get 

 out of the way of the ship they scuttled off in all directions by n 

 series of short, spasmodic jumps ; but that as soon as a stiffish 

 breeze sprang up they Qew off in this maimer : when going across 

 the wind, the windward shoulder-fin was turned more or less 

 upward, the leeward one downward ; when going against the wind 

 the shoulders of the fish were elevated; and when going witli 

 the wind their wing-fins were brought to a suitable angle to 

 receive the wind underneath them, so as to get supported by it ; the 

 stronger the wind the longer they were enabled to remain in the air. 

 As soon as I took up my residence in the northern part of Chili, I 

 gave attention to the mounting and soaring of the condor and other 

 heavy birds, with the view of applying my fish-flying theory to 

 them and their prolonged soaring flights. I was at first dis-posed to 

 think it inapplicable, for I saw these birds on the wing soaring 

 about for hours together while a steady calm prevailed around 

 throughout the day. I should mention that in the north part of 

 ChUi there are neither clouds in the air nor trees with 

 foliage on the mountain sides to indicate that although 

 near the level of the sea, where I was, a calm may pre- 

 vail, when aloft in the stratum of air in which the birds 

 floated a strong wind was blowing all the time. As soon as 

 I had leisure to ascend the mountains (CordiUeras) some 4,000 feet 

 or so I found that nearly a constant and strong wind was blowing 

 at that height and above. At the heights frequented by the condor 

 the atmosphere is so attenuated that considerable muscular effort 

 is necessary to enable the bird to mount and sustain himself in the 

 air without the force of the wind acting on the wings placed in 

 suitable opposition to its direction. Indeed I have at times, when 

 on the mountains and within about fifty yards of the bird, dis- 

 tinctly heard the rush of the wind passing the bird when no muscular 

 movement of the wings was visible to account for the sound. The 

 result of my observations goes to show that flying fish do not disport 

 themselves" in the air in calms, and as they do not liap their 

 shoulder fins to support themselves, they require wind to sustain 

 their flight, against which their wings are voluntarily placed in 

 suitable apposition to it. And that the condor (and such like- 

 birds), whose habitat is on the mountains, where the air is much 

 rarified, is unable to mount without muscular fatigue, and prefers 

 inactivity to hard work until the wind rises, which compensates for 

 the rarity of the atmosphere, when he delights to mount, and soar, 

 and watch his prey from aloft. If, after" mounting, be depended 

 upon the reaction of the air alone through his descent by gravita- 

 tion, he could not possibly sustain his soaring proclivities but for a 



