ch. viii.] Gong Harmonicas. 179 



McNair, in his work on Perak, mentions a curiosity, 

 in the shape of an aeolian flute, formed of a bamboo, 

 in which holes are cut, so as to produce musical sounds 

 when acted on by the wind. An instrument like the 

 Jew's harp is made of a single strip of bamboo ; and 

 a curious stringed instrument is made of a joint of large 

 yellow bamboo, the nine or ten open strings of which 

 produce notes similar to those of a banjo, when twanged 

 with the fingers. A specimen of this instrument may be 

 seen in the Veitchian Museum at Chelsea, together with 

 one of similar design but of much more complicated and 

 finer make from Madagascar. Wooden drums, formed 

 of hollow tree-trunks, and having goat or deer-skin tightly 

 stretched over the ends, are common, and of various 

 sizes. The old war- drums were made thus; but this 

 instrument is now nearly obsolete, being to a great extent 

 replaced by metal gongs, of native manufacture certainly ; 

 but doubtless the idea was copied from the Chinese. 



Nearly every trading prahu or boat carries one of these 

 gongs ; and the Muruts are very fond of such music, 

 and keep up an incessant din on these instruments at 

 their festivals. Sets of eight or ten small such are 

 often fixed in a rattan and bamboo frame, and beaten 

 with two sticks, dulcimer fashion ; and I have seen 

 similar contrivances formed of iron bars ; and even strips 

 of dry hard bamboo wood in the Sulu isles, the scale in 

 this case being similar to our own. 



It is very uncommon to hear performers playing in 

 concert, unless in the case of gong-beating; indeed, 

 music is at a low ebb throughout the island. The songs 

 of the boatman, on the other hand, are often pleasing and 

 melodious. A good many of their songs are Mahomedan 

 prayers, or chants ; but occasionally the theme is on 

 secular, and often very amusing subjects. It is common 



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