APPENDIX. 6S 3 



in the key of F. with a fharp third, or that of G. 

 with a flat third. 



I muft own, I mould rather fuppofe it to be the 

 latter, and for the following reafons. 



Lucretius fays (and perhaps the conjecture is not 

 only ingenious but well founded) that the firft 

 mufical notes were learned from birds : 



" At liquidas avium voces imitarier ore 



" Ante fuit multo, quam lssvia carmina cantu 



" Concelebrare homines poffent, cantuque juvare.'* 



Now, of all the mufical tones which can be 

 diftinguifhed in birds, thofe of the cuckow have 

 been moft attended to, which form a flat third, 

 not only by the obfervations of the harpfichord 

 tuner I have before mentioned, but likewife by 

 thofe of Kircher, in his Mufurgia. 



1 know well that there have been fome late com- 

 pofuions, which introduce the cuckow notes in 

 a {harp third \ thefe compofers, however, did not 

 trouble themfelves with accuracy in imitating 

 thefe notes, and it aniwered their purpofe fufficient- 

 ly, if there was a general refemblance. 



Another proof of our mufical intervals being ori- 

 ginally borrowed from the fong of birds, arifes from 

 mod compofitions being in a flat third, where 

 mufic is fimple, and confifts merely of melody. 



The oldeft tune I happen to have heard is a 



Welfh 



