196 THE HORSE OF MR. VON OSTEN 



were opened and thus two notes sounded, Mr. von Osten 

 would count the number of stoppers intervening between 

 the two, and Hans would tap the number. And so arose 

 the tale of Hans's knowledge of musical intervals. 

 Whenever the two notes were sung or whistled, in which 

 case there would be no stoppers that could be counted, 

 then Mr. von Osten, who was quite destitute of musical 

 knowledge, was at a loss, and also Hans. If, however, 

 the intervening notes were sung, then everything went 

 smoothly once more. Major and minor chords were 

 regularly characterized as " beautiful ", all others as 

 "bad", (but even here errors occurred). A musician 

 had taught Mr. von Osten these distinctions. The old 

 man also knew the melodies that were played on the 

 hand-organ. Each one had a number assigned to it, and 

 Hans was required to tap the number of the melody in 

 token of recognition. — Hans was as ignorant of musical 

 time, as he was of melody ,and all attempts to get him to 

 march in regular step were utterly futile. A number of 

 musical tests were made in the absence of Mr. von Osten. 

 In these Mr. Hahn undertook the questioner's role, and 



table and horse were really correct. By way of explanation, Noizet 

 believes that he has a case of true thought-transference or " telepathy " 

 (page io8). The questioner watched with utmost attentiveness the rap- 

 ping of the table, and the women in turn regarded the man. And thus, 

 Noizet believes, the man's thought was transferred to the minds of the 

 others without the mediation of eye or ear, etc., and hence unvitiated by 

 the words that had been spoken. I myself prefer another explanation. 

 At that moment in which the rapping arrived at the expected number, 

 the Frenchman executed a movement characteristic of release of tension 

 and to this the women of the circle reacted. It was not necessary that 

 they should be able to account for this afterward, (just as sometimes 

 occurs in the case of thought-readers '"). It is very probable, too, that 

 they were not of a very reflective turn of mind anyway. We are war. 

 ranted, I think, in regarding the two cases as Identical in kind. 



