466 



NATURE 



{April 15, 1875 



servations, pp. 468-474, will see that these co-ordinited values 

 form a curve instead oi a straight line." 



I felt much surprise at reading this statement, because if the 

 observations agree with the central cubic (2), 'they must agree 

 with any transfoiTnation of equation (2). 



I now give the values of— and «; and diagrams, 'comparing 



them with equation (3), an 'inspection of which will show that 

 Mr. Nipher is in error in saying "that these co-ordinated values 

 form a curve instead of a straight line." Anyone accustomed to 

 such observations will see that they do not form a ciDt'f, but 

 deviate irregularly as all observations do, above and below the 

 " straight line," which is the true " curve " that represents them. 

 No. I. — Dr. Alacalister's Ejcpcriments (" Animal Mfclianics," 

 p. 



The accompanying diagram (No. i) shows these values plotted, 

 and the right line which represents them all excejjt No. 8, which 

 falls too much below the line. 



No. 2. — J\fr. Giliert Haii^hton's Experiments (p. 474U 



The accompanying diagram (No. 2) shows that theie observa- 

 tions also may fairly be re[jresented by a straight line. 



Trinity College, Dublin, S.\MUEL Haughton 



March 13 



( To III! continued. ) 



The "Wolf" in the Violoncello 



As the question asked by Mr. Fryer in your issue of the 25th 

 of March (p. 406) remains unanswered, allow me to suggest what 

 has been brought prominently before me in some recent experi- 

 ments. 



The " wolf" of which he speaks occurs in all instruments of 

 the violin family, and not only in the violoncello ; indeed, it is 

 present even in fine specimens by the great masters. It is 

 perfectly true that it depends on the resonant case of the instru- 

 ment itself, as can easily be shown In the way he suggests ; a 

 "false string" is soon detected and remedied by any player. 



No doubt it indicates that the consonating box has the power of 

 reinforcing certain vibrations, but not others ; and even of stifling 

 some by interference. Curious facts on this topic have recently 

 been brought before a foreign scientific society, wliich show that 

 the acquired power of consonance depends on a molecular change 

 in the material of which the instrument is made, that it can be 

 increased by steady and good playing, that it is to be detected 

 even in brass instruments like the trumpet. It has long been known 

 that a violin deteriorates in the hands of a bad performer. But 

 there is an obvious cause oF weakness in all fiddles which seems 

 to me to have hardly attracted sufficient attention ; I mean the 

 two "sound-holes " in the belly. These/-shaped apertures, which 

 are doubtless needful to allow escape of aerial vibrations, cut the 

 grain of the wood completely across in a most important part. 

 Every connoisseur pays particular attention to the straightness 

 and regularity of gi-ain ; indeed, blocks of wood w-el! matched 

 in this respect, from which two similar sides might be cut, 

 have been handed down in workshops as of inestimable value. 

 Wheatstone's well-known experiment of the Telephonic Concert 

 proves how perfectly musical tones can be conveyed along the 

 fibres of pine-wood to a considerable distance. These considera- 

 tions led me recently to submit the point to the test of trial. 

 What I have elsewhere termed "elliptical tension bars" are 

 simply four longitudinal struts of light pine glued to the back of 

 the belly, intercepting the sound-holes. They have the effect of 

 removing the " wolf ; " sometimes entirely, nearly always to a 

 marked extent. No doubt they also act by strengthening the 

 fabric exactly in the line in which the string pulls. The pull, 

 which is considerable even in a state of rest, increases enormously 

 when it is moved slightly out of its position of quiescence, for 

 well-kno-n-n mechanical reasons ; and hence, besides the removal 

 of the " wolf," there is gained by means of the bars a decided 

 increase of power and tone. 



The "elliptical" form was adopted because it is found to 

 give considerable resistance with small amounts of material. 

 Anything which rendered th e belly of the fiddle heavy would 

 perform the function of the " mute " as now commonly applied 

 to the bridge, but which can be, and often is, replaced by a 

 penny or a half-crown wedged between the strings below the said 

 br.dge. The great rigidity and low specific gravity of dry pine- 

 wood meet the two requirements ; the whole mass added does 

 not exceed twenty or thirty grains. 



Musicians are slow to adopt theoretical improvements, and 

 dealers in violins cannot be expected to favour anything which 

 puts a one and-ninepenny fiddle more nearly on a level with a 

 Straduarius than it was ; but I am honestly of opinion that the 

 system is of value. I must, however, protest against its being 

 prejudiced by the unsuccess of imitators or of previous efforts. 

 Something of the sort has often been tried before, and it was only 

 after long and laborious experiment that this particular attempt 

 gave good results. By these, and in due time, I am content to 

 let it be judged. \V. II. Sto.ne 



14, Dean's Yard 



Flowering of the Kazel 



The question whether the male and female flowers of the 

 hazel mature simultaneously on the same bush has been already 

 discussed in your columns (Nature, vol. i. p. 583,, vol. iii. pp. 

 347, 509). A repetition of the observations this spring has 

 enabled me to confirm my previous statement that this is the 

 case, at all events very frequently ; in fact, almost invariably in 

 all the cases ihut have come under my notice. As this is in 

 direct opposition to the statements of several of your correspon- 

 dents, especially one resident in Kentucky, who affirms that the 

 hazel, though apparently monoecious, is practically dioecious, it 

 would be interesting if we had furiher information as to the 

 circumstances under which these varying conditions occur. On 

 the present occasion the male and female flowers were found in 

 close contiguity and both in a mature condition at the close of a 

 remarkably protracted cold and dry season, at an unusually late 

 period, the last week in March. Alfred W. Bennett 



A Flint Celt 



On Tuesday last, the '6th inst., I found on the west shore of 

 this bay a very fine specimen of a flint celt, quite perfect. The 

 cliff in the immediate vicinity is composed of fluviatile clays, 

 capped with a thin bed of Bembridge limestone, in a very broken 

 state : the vegetable soil resting on the latter is only trom five 

 to ten inches deep. Perhaps it may interest some of your readers 

 if you do me the favour to notice this. It is rather remarkable 



