Chap. II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTITHESIS. 57 



pendicularly upwards; her cars are erect and pointed; 

 her mouth is closed; and she rubs against her master 

 with a purr instead of a growl. Let it further 

 be observed how widely different is the whole bear- 

 ing of an affectionate cat from that of a dog, when with 

 his body crouching and flexuous, his tail lowered and 

 wagging, and ears depressed, he caresses his master. 

 This contrast in the attitudes and movements of these 

 two carnivorous animals, under the same pleased and 

 affectionate frame of mind, can be explained, as it 

 appears to me, solely by their movements standing in 

 complete antithesis to those which are naturally as- 

 sumed, when these animals feel savage and are pre- 

 pared either to fight or to seize their prey. 



In these cases of the dog and cat, there is every 

 reason to believe that the gestures both of hostility and 

 affection are innate or inherited; for they are almost 

 identically the same in the different races of the spe- 

 cies, and in all the individuals of the same race, both 

 young and old. 



I will here give one other instance of antithesis in ex- 

 pression. I formerly possessed a large dog, who, like 

 every other dog, was much pleased to go out walking. 

 He showed his pleasure by trotting gravely before me 

 with high steps, head much raised, moderately erected 

 ears, and tail carried aloft but not stiffly. Not far from 

 my house a path branches off to the right, leading to 

 the hot-house, which I used often to visit for a few 

 moments, to look at my experimental plants. This was 

 always a great disappointment to the dog, as he did not 

 know whether I should continue my walk; and the in- 

 stantaneous and complete change of expression which 

 came over him as soon as my body swerved in the least 

 towards the path (and I sometimes tried this as an 

 experiment) was laughable. His look of dejection was 

 5 



