500 Construction of Ancient Mexican Terra-cotta [May, | 
me 
same time, allowing the form to be withdrawn before the clay 
reed had become hard and brittle. A section of the body po 
tion of a pitch-pipe, like Fig. 4, R, T (Plate xv1), shows the sh ] 
of its interior, indicating the use of a cylindrical form, about | 
noticeable in the interior of all these musical instruments ” 
striking contrast (especially in the more primitive specifi") 1 
L, 2,5), when compared with the rough modeling of thei: & 
portions; this would be absolutely necessary, as any iti > 4 
2% 
as 
emitted. A decided advance in the construction of primitive 
musical instruments was made by the ancient Mexicans beyond 
the simple tube or whistle, when their artisans produced such 
forms as Nos. 1,2,5 (Plate xvi). Take, for example, some of te ; 
primitive forms of whistles without finger holes, exhibited + the 4 
collections of the Smithsonian and Peabody museums, Figs. ’ 
and 7 (Plate xv1), which have already been described by Dr. C.C 
Abbott in the United States Geographical Surveys west of the 
100th meridian, p. 235 (illustrations Nos. 115, 116, 119 of toe 
work). These, when applied to the lips and a current of air i 
impelled therein from the lungs of the performer, were no pee 
(while in a perfect condition) capable of producing certain gh 
notes. Blowing through a very small aperture of the lips against | 
the edge or orifice of the sound-hole, thus directing the order j 
chiefly within the tube, naturally requires more practice pa 
to produce different notes. An invention was devised by vt by { 
Mexicans to overcome this difficulty of labial manipulat! sai ; 
means of which the sounds were made even and rest’ 7 
were easily produced. The modern fife is sometimes PF 2 
with a mouth-piece similar to that shown in Figs. ao the e 
xv1), which directs the current of air from the lungs «2 visite 
former, thus requiring less skill and labor to produce eon Fig 
volume of sound. It will be seen that this mouth-pic™ E 
9, W (Plate xvi), used upon the fife, is similar to that awd” 
the pitch-pipe which has been denominated the perkon wid 
1 When the pitch-pipe is blown into, by stopping the aperture e 3 
the finger, a note one-fourth lower than that given while open, © 
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 
Aztec Music.) : 
