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CHINESE MUSI C. 67 body resembles a full moon ; there is a variety, however, the body of which is octaaonal The neck, which is shor t, is furnished with frets for the convenience of the player. The 0 four strino-s ~re tuned in paiTs at the Q..istance of a fifth. In some places the strings are made of copp~r msteacl of silk. This instrument is used, together with the p'i-p 'a or san-hsien , to accompany ballads, songs, etc. · No. 26.-The. Hu -ch'in (~ ~ ), or "violin," has a hollow cylindxical body the upper end of which is covered with snake skin, while the lower is left open. The body is pierced by a long arm, to which are attached four silk strings. These strings are tuned, the fisst and third ft (or ), the second and fom th R ( or G). The bow passes · between the strings, so that it requiTes close attention to play without touching the wrong string. The body is sometimes a round tube of bamboo, of wood, or of copper ; sometimes it is octagonal in shape and is ornamented with little pieces of ivory. It is of vai·ying size, the smallest having only two strings. The hii-ch'in is rarely seen in the South, but in Peking it is one of the most popular instruments. It is not difficult to learn (except the management of the bow), and it does not extend over one octave ; moreover, it is comparatively cheap. No. 27.-The .&rh-hsien <= *i), or " two-stringed violin," is in principle exactly the ame as the hu-ch'in , but it never has more than two strings. It is still more popular than the lm -ch'i11, for it is met with all ~ver China. Its form vai·ie . ometime it is a hollow bamboo tnbe, and is then called 11¥ 11¥ (hu-hii) ; sometimes it is simply half a cocoanut shell, and is then called ~»i ~ (t'i-ch'in) ; but no matter what its form may be or what material it i made of, it has always only two strings, which are tuned a,t a distance of a fifth from each other, and between which the bow passes. The lower classes in China seem to be very fond of this rather unattractive instrument, of which foreignel'S have formed a decidedly poor opinion; but if ·we reflect that it is often play cl without taste or feeling, if we consider its cheapness and the simplicity of its form, a,nd if we learn for ourselves that it is really ea able of producing agreeable sounds, there will then be no reason to :find fault with the invento ~ or the invention. No. 28.-The Ycmg-ch'in (if. ~), or "fo:tJeign harpsichord," has the fmm of a rectangular, tr:1,iie,midal, or oval box, about 2 feet long, 1 foot broad, and 4 inches high. When tbe lid ,;hich covers ~tnd' protects the sounding-board is removed, one fi~ds ~ range of fine metarnc wires di •posed in sets of two three or four to each note, clecrea ·mg m length from the base ' ' ' 9