May 30, 1 87 2 J 



NATURE 



87 



double vibrations per second, and carrying a strip of tinsel 

 to serve as an index, is firmly fixed in a vice or in the wall, 

 and arranged so tliat its index may vibrate in the direction 

 of the generating lines of the cylinder. These vibrations 

 serve to mark the time, and the tuning-fork serves as a 

 chronograph, obviating the necessity of giving to the cylin- 

 der a regular and uniform motion. Further, the feather is 

 moved forward, so that its point may just touch the 

 blackened paper, and that it may vibrate quite close to 

 the index, and, like the latter, in the direction of the gene- 

 rating lines of the cylinder. 



These arrangements being made, the 'tuning-fork is set 

 in vibration, either with a bow or by striking it with a 

 stick covered with leather, and the musician plays, while 

 the cylinder is turned at a suitable rate either by the hand 

 or by any convenient motive power. 



In this manner a tracing is obtained like that of which 

 a fragment is shown in Fig. 2, each note of the melody 

 being represented by a form of vibration peculiar to itself. 

 The number of vibrations for each note, corresponding to 

 100 vibrations, for example, of the tuning-forks, is counted, 

 and the ratio of the numbers thus obtained "ivcs the xalucs 



of the intervals. The vibrations are sometimes complicated 

 with harmonics ("Fig. 3\butthey are almost always octaves, 

 rarely fifths, very rarely thirds ; moreover, it is not possible 

 to make a mistake on this point. 



To preserve the tracing after it is detachea from the 

 cylinder, it is split longitudinally, dipped for an instant 

 into a 4 per cent, solution of shellac in alcohol, whereby it 

 becomes covered with a very thin layer of unalterab'e 

 varnish. 



If, instead of measuring intervals of melody, we wish to 

 measure the harmonic intervals of two sounds, two strings 

 of the instrument are tuned simultaneously (in the ordinary 

 way), to the third, fifth, sixth, (S:c., till beats are no longer 

 perceptible, and the ear is perfectly sitisfied ; the sounds 

 of the two strings thus tuned are then separately traced. 



We have made numerous experiments with several 

 persons, in particular melody experiments with M. Ldonard, 

 the Belgian violinist, and M. Scligmann, the violoncell st. 

 The mean values of the results obtained with the assist- 

 ance of these eminent artists are given in the following 

 table ; other experiments gave octaves equal to 2. 



It is necessary to add that the mean deviations of the 

 experiments rarely exceed the third of a comma. As to 

 the differences between the mean values of the results 

 and the values of the intervals of the Pythagorean Scale, 

 it is a mere fraction of the comma, insensible to the ear. 

 For the seventh alone the difference amounts to five-sixths 

 of the comma ; but this result is remarkable, inasmuch as 

 it exhibits a fact well known to musicians, namely, that in 

 the case where the sensitive note Si is resolved upon the 

 tonic Do (which is precisely what occurs in the four 

 cases in which we obtained sevenths), it is perceptibly 

 higher than in the inverse movement. 



E. Mercadier 



DISCOVERY OF A LARGE BONE CAVE 

 IN BA VARIA 



DURING the cutting of the railway from Nuremberg 

 to Regensburg by the Bavarian Eastern Railway 

 Co., it was necessary to cut directly through a piece of 

 mountain chain in Schelmengrabsn near Regensburg. It 

 was owing to this that this bone cave was discovered, and 

 its miscellaneous contents were able to be examined and 

 arranged. Since the railway cut riglit across the middle 

 of the cave,it allowed it tobe very thoroughly examined, and 

 under the most favourable circumstances and in daylight, 

 as has been the case in very few other instances. The 

 railway company have given every facility in their power 

 that the cave should be thoroughly examined, and under 



the direction of Profs. Fraas and Zittel, a gang of men 

 were actively employed for many days, and the objects so 

 obtained were carefully preserved. From the local German 

 papers the following particulars have b.';n obt lined, 

 which, allowing for a little local colouring and exiggera- 

 tion, show the find to have been a most important one, 

 and one that may well come under the notice of the Inter- 

 national Congress of Archaeology and Anthropology at 

 their meeting this year, where the whole question of b)ne 

 caves and their contents is to form a prominant su'iject 

 for discussion. 



The cave in question was originally, when first dis- 

 covered about two years ago, 28 metres (about 91 ft.) long, 

 and was simply a fissure in the Jura limestone which had 

 been enlarged by running water. Its opening was visible 

 half way up the mountain side, partly hidden in dense 

 woods. It stretched from North to South, with a slight 

 turn towards the West of about 15". The new line of rail- 

 way cut deeply into the hill side, and during the course of 

 this year has already cut away one half of the cave, but 

 unfortunately the contents were employed on the line. On 

 this account, only the part not touched was able to be ex- 

 cavated and examined, and this was 1 1 metres (36 ft.) 

 long, 2 metres (6^ ft.) wide, and in the middle 3 metres 

 (9.} ft.) deep. Wood ashes and pieces of coal, to^^ether 

 with pieces of potter)-, hadaccumulated toabout the height 



il-^V 



