Robert Springer

“ The wind, which in this case causes the root-fibers to be rubbed together and turns the limber stalks upon themselves, exerts a similar action on the innumerable thistles of the Hungarian steppes, where, as on the battle-field of Kapolna, mournful sounds, mingled with the soft soughing of the wind, are heard on still nights. The poets of all ages have sung of these sounds of nature; the literature of all nations abounds in fables and myths concerning them ”

“ The human race has heard the voices of creation for thousands of years, from its childhood; but how incompetent has science been till now to explain the origin and meaning of these innumerable sounds!" A notice of some of the most remarkable of the sounds which are produced by the acoustic forces of nature will be of interest.
It should be borne in mind that waves of sound produced by a single impulse have the property of putting other waves in motion, so as to prolong the effect and produce a tone from the combination of the wave-movements. ”

“ A fearful sound has been said to be emitted from the grotto of Smaland near Wibourg, in Finland, as if a living animal were imprisoned there. Similar sounds are attributed to grottoes in Switzerland and the island of Hispaniola. A cave near Barable in Hungary gives out a noise like that of a pistol-shot. Harmonious, soothing tones prevail in other caves, as in Fingal's Cave, Staffa, where the falling water-drops, the breezes, and the rolling waves striking upon the basaltic columns, combine to make it a real cave of melodies. ”

“ The Germans have myths of the din made by the war-god and his marching hosts, of the wild huntsmen, of strange cries and of the barking of dogs heard in the air; and the French have stories not unlike them. ”

“ The devil's voice in Ceylon is heard in clear nights on the hills and among the valleys in different places, passing quickly from one spot to another, sometimes resembling the barking of a dog, sometimes a mournful human voice, and has been described by several travelers, English, Dutch, and German. ”

“ Plants also afford their peculiar sounds and music. Of this nature were the oracular voices of the oaks at Dordona, a rustling of the trees around the temple of Zeus, which, with the accompanying murmur of the sacred fountain, was held to be prophetic. ”

“ The profane history of antiquity also tells of voices from above, and ascribes to them a supernatural significance and an influence over the hearts of men. Instances in point are the sounds of battle, and the clash of arms, and the neighing of horses, heard by night, according to Pausanias, on the field of Marathon ”

“ From this we may understand how resonances may be caused and harmonies may be heard in nature, the real origin of which may not be perceived by the common observer, or even by the learned investigator. ”

“ Autenrieth refers them to the same class as the noises like thunder or the firing of cannon, which the hearers often fail to trace to an apparent cause. Sometimes they seem like the trampling of horses, or the roll of drums, or the clangor of trumpets; at other times, like human voices. In the last case, the sounds are those which are common to all men, and may be interpreted by each hearer as in his own language. ”

“ An echo in the county of Argyll repeats the sound eight times after equal pauses, but with diminishing force. These phenomena are favored by the neighborhood of rocks, caves, and bodies of water. Pierre de Castellane, a French officer who served in Algiers, relates that he heard an echo repeated a thousand times on the mountain-road to Bel-Abbes ”