itable
to the constitution of the Violin. If the instrument is wanting in
brilliancy, a bridge having solidity of fibre is necessary; if wanting
in mellowness, one possessing soft qualities should be selected.

We now pass to the neck of the Violin, which is made of sycamore or
plane-tree. Its length has been increased since the days of the great
Italian masters, who seem to have paid but little attention to this
portion of the instrument, in regard to its appearance and as to the
wood used for its manufacture, which was of the plainest description.
It may be observed that in those times the florid passages which we
now hear in Violin music were in their infancy, the first and second
positions being those chiefly used; hence the little attention paid to
the handle of the instrument. Modern requirements have made it
imperative that the neck should be well shaped, neither too flat nor
too round, but of a happy medium. The difficulties of execution are
sensibly lessened when due attention is paid to this requirement.

The finger-board is of ebony, and varies a little in length according
to the position of the sound-holes. To form the board properly is a
delicate operation, for if it be not carefully made the strings jar
against it, and the movements of the bow are impeded. The nut, or
rest, is that small piece of ebony over which the strings pass on the
finger-board.

The purfling is composed of three strips of lime-tree, two of which
are stained black. Whalebone purfling has been frequently used,
particularly by the old Amsterdam makers.

The principal parts of the instrument have now been described, and
there remain only the pegs, blocks, strings, and tail-piece, the sum
of which makes up the number of fifty-eight constituent parts as
before mentioned. There is still, however, one item of the
construction to be mentioned which does not form a separate portion of
the Violin, but which is certainly worthy of notice, viz., the button,
which is that small piece of wood against which the heel of the neck
rests. The difficulty of making this apparently insignificant piece
can only be understood by those who have gone through the various
stages of Violin manufacture. The amount of finish given to the button
affects in a great measure the whole instrument, and if there is any
defect of style it is sure to be apparent here. It is a prominent
feature, and the eye naturally rests upon it: as the key-stone to the
arch, so is th