December 14, 1888.] 



SCIENCE 



287 



Musical boxes, properly so called, were invented about the be- 

 ginning of the present century, and were at first exceedingly imper- 

 fect and costly. Since that time numberless improvements have 

 been made, notably by members of the Paillard family, of Ste. 



coupled springs and mandoline or tremolo harp-zither attachment. 

 The characteristic feature of this box is that the same note is re- 

 peated consecutively, as is done on the harp, guitar, or piano. 



An instrument with coupled springs and double comb or key- 

 board, giving a much louder and fuller tone, is shown at Fig. 4. 

 An improvement on the coupled springs is shown at Fig. 6. It 

 consists of a combination of four springs, enabling the instrument 



Croix, Switzerland, at which place they have been engaged in the 

 manufacture of these instruments since 1814. Many of the musical 

 boxes, as now made by this house and exhibited in New York, have 

 attachments which bring into play various devices, such as bells, 

 drums, and castanets, for adding to the general effect. There are 



Fic. 3. 



to run one or two hours with one winding. The orchestral musi- 

 cal box, the mechanism of which is shown at Fig. 5, has, besides 

 the devices already mentioned, a flute or ' celestial voice ' attach- 



alsojwhat are known as the ' mandoline or tremolo harp-zither' at- 

 tachinent, ' sublime harmonic,' ' zither harmonique piccolo and 

 tremolo,' and ' orchestra.' These boxes are furnished with one, two, 

 or four springs, and single, duplex, or interchangeable cylinders. 

 At^Fig. I is shown the cylinder, comb, and spring-barrel of an 



ment. consisting of reeds placed in the centre of the keyboard, and 

 vibrated by air from the bellows underneath the bed-plate. 



One of the recent improvements in these instruments is what is 

 called the ' interchangeable cylinder ' system, the advantage of which 

 is that additional cylinders may be obtained at any time, ready for 



■ordinary musical box. The winding-lever stands at the extreme 

 left, and the small fan-shaped governor for regulating the speed 

 may be seen at the right. Fig. 2 shows the works of a box with 

 drum, bells, and castanets. These attachments may be silenced 

 separately or together. Fig. 3 shows works with thirty-minute 



immediate use. without the necessity of sending the box to the fac- 

 tor>- to have them fitted. This is an adaptation of the interchange- 

 able system so much in vogue in the manufacture of sewing- 

 machines, type-writers, and similar articles. 



Few persons have any idea of the extent and importance of the 



