Show concourse of sweet sounds as pigeons fly long before the radio was dreamed ot of the chinese had bad music on the air ae according cording to dr berthold nert hold laufer curator of anthropology at field museum of 0 na natural history chicago this they accomplished by means of small reed instruments resembling sem bling pipes of 0 pan ilan which abich they attached to the tall tail tea feathers abers of pigeons whole flocks of pigeons are thus equipped each bird with whistles producing different notes and as the birds fly the wind strikes the apertures aper tures of the instruments getting them to vibrating and creating a pleasant open air concert the chinese explanation of 0 the practice Is that the sounds of the whistles are intended to keep the flocks together and to protect the birds from the onslaughts of hawks and other birds of prey this rationalistic tiona listic interpretation however Is not convincing it Is doubtful cheth er such music makes any impression on either pigeon or hawk and since this music constantly fills the atmosphere mo sphere year after year the ane unrelenting foes of the pigeon would gradually become accustomed to it and disregard it even it it had kept them away at first it seems more plausible that this quaint custom has no rational origin but that it rather Is the outcome of purely emotional and artistic tendencies it Is not the pigeon that profits from this aerial music but the human ear on a serene berene lay day one can hear this concert in pelting peking all day e eien een en in ones house |