APPENDIX. VI. 
I must own, I should rather suppose it to be 
the latter, and for the following reasons. 
Lucretius says (and perhaps the conjecture 
is not only ingenious but well founded) that the 
first musical notes were learned from birds: 
«« At liquidas avium voces imitarier ore 
«* Ante fuit multo, quam levia carmina cantu 
«© Concelebrare homines possent, cantuque juvare.” 
Now, of all the musical tones which can be 
distinguished in birds, those of the cuckow have 
been most attended to, which form a flat third, 
not only by the observations of the harpsichord- 
tuner I have before mentioned, but likewise by 
those of Kircher, in his Musurgia. 3 
I know well that there have been some late 
compositions, which introduce the cuckow notes 
in a sharp third; these composers, however, 
did not trouble themselves with accuracy in 
imitating these notes, and it answered their 
purpose sufficiently, if there was a general 
resemblance. 
Another proof of our musical intervals being 
originally borrowed from the song of birds, 
arises from most compositions being in a flat 
third, where music is simple, and consists 
merely of melody. 
The oldest tune I happen to have heard is a 
