Chap. IX. REFLECTION. 223 



ing an appearance of intellectual energy or of profound 

 thought. 



We may now inquire how it is that a frown should 

 express the perception of something difficult or dis- 

 agreeable, either in thought or action. In the same 

 way as naturalists find it advisable to trace the embryo- 

 logical development of an organ in order fully to under- 

 stand its structure, so with the movements of expression 

 it is advisable to follow as nearly as possible the same 

 plan. The earliest and almost sole expression seen dur- 

 ing the first days of infancy, and then often exhibited, 

 is that displayed during the act of screaming; and 

 screaming is excited, both at first and for some time 

 afterwards, by every distressing or displeasing sensation 

 and emotion, — by hunger, pain, anger, jealousy, fear, 

 &c. At such times the muscles round the eyes are 

 strongly contracted; and this, as I believe, explains to a 

 large extent the act of frowning during the remainder 

 of our lives. I repeatedly observed my own infants, 

 from under the age of one week to that of two or three 

 months, and found that when a screaming-fit came on 

 gradually, the first sign was the contraction of the cor- 

 rugators, which produced a slight frown, quickly fol- 

 lowed bv the contraction of the other muscles round 

 the eyes. When an infant is uncomfortable or unwell, 

 little frowns — as I record in my notes — may be seen in- 

 cessantly passing like shadows over its face; these being 

 generally, but not always, followed sooner or later by 

 a crying-fit. For instance, I watched for some time a 

 baby, between seven and eight weeks old, sucking some 

 milk winch was cold, and therefore displeasing to him; 

 and a steady little frown was maintained all the time. 

 This was never developed into an actual crying-fit, 

 though occasionally every stage of close approach could 

 be observed. 



