which the sound
force passes, and the auxiliaries by which it is moulded into certain
shapes. By _ultimate form_ I mean the geometrical shape of the sound
force when first converted into sound. That there is such a thing as
form has been clearly demonstrated by the phoneidoscope. Prof. John B.
De Mott has very kindly aided me in reducing certain sounds to a visible
condition. I had conceived an idea before this that if the path
described by the energy which produced sound could be made visible, that
it would be found to have the form of a convolute spiral, that these
spirals recede from the centre or point of propagation in every
direction like the radii of a sphere, and that that aspect of sound
which we call waves, is simply the point at which these spirals
intercept each other, which of necessity would be of uniform distance
from the centre, increasing at each successive point throughout the
entire sound-sphere or space through which the sound passes in all
directions from the centre to infinity. I shall refrain from discussing
this point till such a time as I can show at greater length my reasons
for this belief. I may add here that I have made records of the human
voice with which I have deceived the monkeys, and I have made records of
the monkey's voice with which I have deceived the very elect of
linguists and musicians. Some critic once remarked to me that the sound
made by a monkey was not really laughter, but only a kind of
good-natured growling. This may be correct, but the same is true of
human laughter, as the one may be converted into the other, and a
good-natured growl expresses the emotion which is felt by man as well as
monkey.

The phonograph shows that they are identical in sound and form, besides
the fact that they are the outburst of the same passion, actuated by the
same cause and executed by the same muscles, so that their identity,
mentally, physically, and mechanically, is the same.

[Sidenote: VOWEL SOUNDS]

Among the sounds of the Simian voice I have not found the English vowels
"a," "i," or "o," except, perhaps, "i" short as sounded in the word
"it." The vowel "u," as sounded like "oo" in "shoot," seems to be the
chief sound of their speech. One important point which I discovered from
the phonograph is, that sounds or tones which are purely musical are
reproduced alike with the cylinder turning either way, while all speech
sounds are slightly changed when the cylinder is reversed, which s