Show Concourse of Sweet Sounds Sound as a. Pigeons Fly Long Iong before the radio was dreamed of ot the Chinese had music on the theair theair theair air according to Dr Berthold Laufer curator of anthropology at atField atField 1 Field Museum of Natural History Chicago This they accomplished by means means of oC small reed Instruments resembling resembling resembling re re- pipes of Pan Ian which they attached to the tall feathers feathers' of pigeons Whole flocks of pigeons ons arethus arethus are thus equipped each ach bird with whistles whistles whis whis- ties producing different notes and as all the birds fly the wind strikes the apertures of the Instruments Instrument setting them to vibrating and creating a pleasant open air concert The Chinese explanation of the practice Is that the soun sounds s of ot the whistles are arc Intended to keep the flocks flocks' together and to protect the birds from the onslaughts of hawks and other birds of prey This ra ra ra- Interpretation however Is not convincing con It Is doubtful whether er such music makes any Impression on either pigeon n or hawk and since this music constantly fills the atmosphere atmosphere at at- year after aUer year the unrelenting unrelenting lenting foes of oC the pigeon would gradually become accustomed to It and disregard It t even If It It had kept them away at first It seems more plausible that this quaint custom has I Ino no ra rational origin but that tha t It rather Is the outcome of oC purely emotional and arUs artistic lc tendencies It Is not the pigeon that profits from this aerial music mush but the human ear On-a On seday se- se tone day one can hear this concert concertin in Peking all day even in ones one's hou house |