1890.] Effects of Musical Sounds on Animals. 239 
ALLIGATOR AND MUSIC. 
“ When the late Dr. Stimpson and I were in Florida in 186ọ, 
some person gave him a young alligator. The specimen was 
about two-and-a-half feet from tip of snout to tip of tail. To 
secure the beast we made a halter of a piece of bedcord, say 
three feet long, tying one end around its neck and the other 
to the leg of the table in the room we slept in. While sitting 
before a pitch-pine fire in the evening, discussing the events of 
the day, by way of variety we serenaded that alligator with vocal 
performances of a high order. Our musical efforts produced, so 
far as we could perceive, not the slightest effect; the poor brute 
knew that he was tied, and that it would be useless to try and 
get away” 
From the gigantic and uncouth let us return to the more at- 
tractive and familiar animals belonging to certain groups of the 
Rodentia, some of which are almost domestic through the prox- 
imity of their habitat to that of man. 
SQUIRRELS AND MUSIC. 
In Dr. Merriam’s charming volume, in treating of the gray 
squirrels, he says: “They were extremely fond of music (in 
the mort comprehensive sense of the term), and it affected them 
in a peculiar manner. Some were not only fascinated but actually 
spellbound by the music-box or guitar. And one particularly weak- 
minded individual was so unrefined in his taste that, if I advanced 
slowly, whistling “ Just before the Battle, Mother,” in as pathetic 
tones as I could muster for the occasion, he would permit me even 
to stroke his back, sometimes expressing his pleasure by making 
a low purring sound. This was a gray, and I several times ap- 
proached and stroked him as above desceibed. I once succeeded 
in getting near enough to a black to touch him, whereupon he in- 
stantly came to his senses and fled. When listening to music 
they all acted much inthe same way. They always sat bolt up- 
right, inclining a little forward (and if eating a nut were sure to 
