276 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
means of small orifices, considerable differences of tempe- 
rature may occasion currents of air to pass through those 
apertures with sufficient velocity for producing sonorous 
vibrations. The sounds described by Humboldt, as heard 
at sunrise, by those who sleep on certain granitic rocks, 
on the banks of the Orinoco, may be explained on this 
principle. The sounds produced at sunrise, by the statue 
of Memnon, and the twang, like the breaking of a string, 
heard by the French naturalists to proceed from a granite 
mountain at Carnac, are viewed by him as referable to a 
different cause, viz. to pyrometric expansions and contrac- 
tions of the heterogeneous material of which the statue 
and mountain consist. Similar sounds, and from the same 
cause, are emitted when heat is applied to any connected 
mass of machinery; and the snapping often heard in the 
bars of a grate affords a familiar example of this pheno- 
menon. The following amusing account of an ominous 
sound is given by Gairdner in his book on the “ Music of 
Nature:” — In one of the baronial castles of the north, 
which has been uninhabited for years, there were heard 
at times such extraordinary noises, as to confirm the 
opinion among the country people that the place was 
haunted. In the western tower an old couple were per- 
mitted to live, who had been in the service of the former 
lord, but so imbued were they with the superstitions of 
the country, that they never went to bed without expect- 
ing to hear the cries of the disturbed spirits of the man- 
sion. An old story was current, that an heir-apparent 
had been murdered by an uncle, that he might possess the 
estate, who, however, after enjoying it for a time, was so 
annoyed by the sounds in the castle, that he retired with 
an uneasy conscience from the domain, and died in France. 
Not many years ago, the property descended to a branch 
of the female line, (one of the heroes of Waterloo,) who, 
nothing daunted, was determined to make this castle his 
place of residence. As the noises were a subject of real 
terror to his tenantry, he formed the resolution of sleep- 
ing in the castle on the night he took possession, in order 
to do away these superstitious fears. Not a habitable 
room could be found, except the one occupied by the 
old gardener and his wife in the western turret, and he 
ordered his camp-bed to be set up in that apartment. It 
was in the autumn, at nightfall, that he repaired to the 
gloomy abode, leaving bis servant, to his no small com- 
fort, at the village inn; and after having found every 
thing comfortably provided, turned the large old rusty 
key upon the antiquated pair, who took leave of him to 
lodge at a farm hard by. It was one of those nights 
which are chequered with occasional gleams of moon- 
shine and darkness, when the clouds are riding in a high 
wind. He slept well for the two first hours; he was then 
wakened by a low mournful sound that ran through the 
apartments. This warned him to be up and accoutred. 
He descended the turret stairs with a brilliant light, which, 
on coming to the ground floor, cast a gigantic shadow of 
himself upon the high embattled walls. Here he stood 
and listened, when presently a hollow moan ran through 
the long corridor, and died away. This was followed by 
one of a higher key, a sort of scream, which directed his 
footsteps with more certainty to the spot. Pursuing the 
sounds, he found himself in the hall of his ancestors, and 
vaulting upon the large oaken table, set down his lamp, and 
folding his cloak about him, determined to wait for the 
appearance of all that was terrible. The night, which had 
been stormy, became suddenly still; the dark flitting 
clouds had sunk below the horizon, and the moon insinu- 
ated her silvery light through the chinks of the moulder- 
ing pile. As our hero had spent the morning in the chase, 
Morpheus came unbidden, and he fell asleep upon the 
table. His dream was short; for close upon him issued 
forth the horid groan; amazed, he started up and sprang 
at the unseen voice, fixing, with a powerful blow, his To- 
ledo steel in the arras. The blade was fast, and held him 
to the spot. At this moment the moon shot a ray that illu- 
mined the hall, and showed that behind the waving folds 
there lay the cause concealed. His sword he left, and to 
the turret retraced his steps. When morning came, a 
welcome crowd greeting, asked if he had met the ghost? 
“ 0 yes!” replied the knight, (i dead as a door nail be- 
hind the screen he lies, where my sword has pinned him 
fast; bring the wrenching bar and we’ll haul the disturber 
out.” With such a leader, and broad day to boot, the 
valiant throng tore down the screen where the sword 
was fixed, when lo! in a recess, lay the fragments of a 
chapel organ, and the square wooden trunks made for 
hallowed sounds were used as props to stay the work 
when the hall was coated round with oak. The wonder- 
ing clowns now laughed aloud at the mysterious voice. It 
was the northern blast that found its way through the 
crannies of the wall to the groaning pipes, that alarmed 
the country round for a century. — Edin. Phil. Jour. 
OBESITY. 
The celebrated fat liver pies of Strasburgh are made 
of the livers of geese, fattened with great attention. The 
animal is shut up in a cage, but little larger than its body, 
and is taken out but twice a day, and then to be fed with 
about a quart of crude peas. They are introduced with a 
finger into the pharynx of the animal, which is thus made 
