54 FACULTIES OF BIRDS. 



M. Marville has given the following curious 

 details 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 (trojnpe marine), 

 upon a cat, a dog, a horse, an ass, a hind, cows, 

 small birds, and some barn-door 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 judged by her air that she would have given 

 all the musical 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 

 feeding 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 awhile, 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. 



Sir William Jones, in his curious dissertation on 

 the musical modes of the Hindoos, says, " I have 

 been assured by a credible eye-witness that two wild 

 antelopes used often to come from their woods to the 

 place where a more savage beast Sirajuddaulah 

 entertained himself with concerts, and that they 

 listened to the strains with an appearance of pleasure, 



