212 EXPRESSION OF LOVE, ETC. Chap. VIII. 



more especially of his kangaroo dogs. The Greenland- 

 ers, " when they affirm anything with pleasure, suck 

 down air with a certain sound; " 19 and this may be an 

 imitation of the act of swallowing savoury food. 



Laughter is suppressed by the firm contraction of the 

 orbicular muscles of the mouth, which prevents the great 

 zygomatic and other muscles from drawing the lips 

 backwards and upwards. The lower lip is also some- 

 times held by the teeth, and this gives a roguish ex- 

 pression to the face, as was observed with the blind and 

 deaf Laura Bridgman. 20 The great zygomatic muscle 

 is sometimes variable in its course, and I have seen a 

 young woman in whom the depressores a?iguli oris were 

 brought into strong action in suppressing a smile; but 

 this by no means gave to her countenance a melancholy 

 expression, owing to the brightness of her eyes. 



Laughter is frequently employed in a forced manner 

 to conceal or mask some other state of mind, even anger. 

 We often see persons laughing in order to conceal their 

 shame or shyness. When a person purses up his mouth, 

 as if to prevent the possibility of a smile, though there 

 is nothing to excite one, or nothing to prevent its free 

 indulgence, an affected, solemn, or pedantic expression 

 is given; but of such hybrid expressions nothing more 

 need here be said. In the case of derision, a real or pre- 

 tended smile or laugh is often blended with the expres- 

 sion proper to contempt, and this may pass into angry 

 contempt or scorn. In such cases the meaning of the 

 laugh or smile is to show the offending person that he 

 excites only amusement. 



Love, tender feelings, &c. — Although the emotion of 



18 Crantz, quoted by Tylor, 'Primitive Culture,' 1871, 

 vol. i. p. 169. 



20 F. Lieber, ' Smithsonian Contributions,' 1851, vol. 

 n. p. 7. 



