208 EXPRESSION OF JOY: Chap. VIII. 



the same circumstances. Lastly, in North America, the 

 same fact has been observed in a remarkably savage and 

 isolated tribe, but chiefly with the women; in another 

 tribe it was observed only on a single occasion. 



Excessive laughter, as before remarked, graduates 

 into moderate laughter. In this latter case the muscles 

 round the eyes are much less contracted, and there is 

 little or no frowning. Between a gentle laugh and a 

 broad smile there is hardly any difference, excepting 

 that in smiling no reiterated sound is uttered, though a 

 single rather strong expiration, or slight noise — a rudi- 

 ment of a laugh — may often be heard at the commence- 

 ment of a smile. On a moderately smiling countenance 

 the contraction of the upper orbicular muscles can still 

 just be traced by a slight lowering of the eyebrows. The 

 contraction of the lower orbicular and palpebral mus- 

 cles is much plainer, and is shown by the wrinkling of 

 the lower eyelids and of the skin beneath them, together 

 with a slight drawing up of the upper lip. From the 

 broadest smile we pass by the finest steps into the gen- 

 tlest one. In this latter case the features are moved in 

 a much less degree, and much more slowly, and the 

 mouth is kept closed. The curvature of the naso-labial 

 furrow is also slightly different in the two cases. We 

 thus see that no abrupt line of demarcation can be 

 drawn between the movement of the features during the 

 most violent laughter and a very faint smile. 16 



A smile, therefore, may be said to be the first stage 

 in the development of a laugh. But a different and 

 more probable view may be suggested; namely, that 

 the habit of uttering loud reiterated sounds from a sense 

 of pleasure, first led to the retraction of the corners of 

 the mouth and of the upper lip, and to the contraction 



16 Dr. Piderit has come to the same conclusion, ibid. s. 99. 



