A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AX INFANT. 



34? 



head all the time that he was sucking, so that he 

 looked like a grown-up person made cross from 

 being compelled to do something which he did 

 not like. When nearly four months old, and per- 

 haps much earlier, there could be no doubt, from 

 the manner in which the blood gushed into his 

 whole face and scalp, that he easily got into a 

 violent passion. A small cause sufficed ; thus, 

 when a little over seven months old, he screamed 

 with rage because a lemon slipped away and be 

 could not seize it with his hands. When eleven 

 months old, if a wrong plaything was given him, 

 he would push it away and beat it ; I presume 

 that the beating was an instinctive sign of anger, 

 like the snapping of the jaws by a young croco- 

 dile just out of the egg, and not that he imagined 

 he could hurt the plaything. When two years 

 and three months old, he became a great adept 

 at throwing books or sticks, etc., at any one who 

 offended him; and so it was with some of my 

 other sons. On the other hand, I could never see 

 a trace of such aptitude in my infant daughters ; 

 and this makes me think that a tendency to throw 

 objects is inherited by boys. 



Fear. — This feeling probably is one of the 

 earliest experienced by infants, as shown by 

 their starting at any sudden sound when only a 

 few weeks old, followed by crying. Before the 

 present one was four and a half months old, I 

 had been accustomed to make close to him many 

 strange and loud noises, which were all taken as 

 excellent jokes, but at this period I one day made 

 a loud, snoring noise which I had never done be- 

 fore; he instantly looked grave and then burst 

 out crying. Two or three days afterward, I made 

 through forgetfulness the same noise, with the 

 same result. About the same time (viz., on the 

 137th day) I approached with my back toward 

 him and then stood motionless : he looked very 

 grave and much surprised, and would soon have 

 cried, had I not turned round ; then his face in- 

 stantly relaxed into a smile. It is well known 

 how intensely older children suffer from vague 

 and undefined fears, us from the dark, or in pass- 

 ing an obscure corner in a large hall, etc. I may 

 give as an instance that I took the child in ques- 

 tion, when two and a quarter years old, to the Zo- 

 ological Gardens, and he enjoyed looking at all 

 the animals which were like those that he knew, 

 such as deer, antelopes, etc., and all the birds, 

 even the ostriches, but was much alarmed at the 

 various larger animals in cages. lie often said 

 afterward that he wished to go again, but not to 

 see " beasts in houses ; " and we could in no 

 manner account for this fear. May we not sus- 



pect that the vague but very real fears of chil- 

 dren, which are quite independent of experience, 

 are the inherited effects of real dangers and ab- 

 ject superstitions during ancient savage times ? 

 It is quite conformable with what we know of 

 the transmission of formerly well-developed char- 

 acters, that they should appear at an early period 

 of life, and afterward disappear. 



Pleasurable Sensations. — It may be presumed 

 that infants feel pleasure while sucking, and the ex- 

 pression of their swimming eyes seems to show that 

 this is the case. This infant smiled when forty- 

 five days, a second when forty-six days old ; and 

 these were true smiles, indicative of pleasure, for 

 their eyes brightened and eyelids slightly closed. 

 The smiles arose chiefly when looking at their moth- 

 er, and were therefore probably of mental origin ; 

 but this infant often smiled then, and for some 

 time afterward, from some inward pleasurable 

 feeling, for nothing was happening which could 

 have in any way excited or amused him. When 

 110 days old, he was exceedingly amused by a 

 pinafore being thrown over his face and then sud- 

 denly withdrawn ; and so he was when I suddenly 

 uncovered my own face and approached his. He 

 then uttered a little noise which was an incipient 

 laugh. Here surprise was the chief cause of the 

 amusement, as is the case to a large extent with 

 the wit of grown-up persons. I believe that for 

 three or four weeks before the time when he was 

 amused by a face being suddenly uncovered he 

 received a little pinch on his nose and cheeks as 

 a good joke. I was at first surprised at humor 

 being appreciated by an infant only a little above 

 three months old, but we should remember how 

 very early puppies and kittens begin to play. 

 When four months old, he showed in an unmis- 

 takable manner that he liked to hear the piano- 

 forte played ; so that here apparently was the 

 earliest sign of an aesthetic feeling, unless the at- 

 traction of bright colors, which was exhibited 

 much earlier, may be so considered. 



Affection. — This probably arose very early in 

 life, if we may judge by his smiling at those who 

 had charge of him when under two months old ; 

 though I had no distinct evidence of his distin- 

 guishing and recognizing any one, until he was 

 nearly four months old. When nearly five months 

 old, he plainly showed his wish to go to his nurse. 

 But he did not spontaneously exhibit affection by 

 overt acts until a little above a year old, namely, 

 by kissing several times his nurse who had been 

 absent for a short time. With respect to the 

 allied feeling of sympathy, this was clearly shown 

 at six months and eleven days by his melancholy 



