174 THE ZOOLOGIST* 



acted much in the same way. They always sat bolt upright, 

 inclining a little forward (and if eating a nut were sure to drop it), 

 letting the fore paws hang listlessly over the breast, and, turning 

 the head to one side in a bewildered sort of way, assumed a most 

 idiotic expression. 



Mice. — In 1804 Dr. Samuel Cramer, of Virginia, communi- 

 cated to Dr. Barton the following very curious account of the 

 influence of music upon the common House Mouse. He said : — 

 " One evening in the month of December, as a few officers on a 

 British man-of-war in the harbour of Portsmouth were seated 

 around the fire, one of them began to play a plaintive air on the 

 violin. He had scarcely performed ten minutes when a Mouse, 

 apparently frantic, made its appearance in the centre of the 

 floor, near the large table which usually stands in the ward-room, 

 the residence of the lieutenants in ships of the line. The strange 

 gestures of the little animal strongly excited the attention of the 

 officers, who, with one consent, resolved to suffer it to continue 

 its singular actions unmolested. Its exertions now appeared to 

 be greater every moment. It shook its head, leaped about the 

 table, and exhibited signs [of the most ecstatic delight. It was 

 observed that in proportion to the gradation of the tones of the 

 soft point the ecstacy of the animal appeared to be increased, 

 and vice versa. After performing actions which an animal so 

 diminutive would at first sight seem incapable of, the little 

 creature, to the astonishment of the delighted spectators, sud- 

 denly ceased to move ; fell down and expired without evincing 

 any symptoms of pain.* 



The anecdotes herein submitted are more entertaining than 

 important ; they contribute but little to our enlightenment on 

 the main point. As a totality they are sufficient to show that 

 an interesting field of inquiry is offered to us, that experiments 

 are worth the making, and that only by carefully devised experi- 

 ments can satisfactory data be obtained. 



In reviewing the examples here brought together, those which 

 relate to the effect of flute notes on sheep and pigeons are usefully 

 suggestive, as furnishing a hint, — -first, as to an instrument, and 

 second, indicating a class of sounds worth experimenting with. 



; ' I'hilud. Med. und PhyB. Journ., vol. i. 1804, quoted by Dr. Merriain. 



