Chap. XI. SHRUGGING THE SHOULDERS. 2G5 



the little French girl shrugging her shoulders! " At 

 first she often acted thus, sometimes throwing her head 

 a little backwards and on one side, but she did not, as 

 far as was observed, move her elbows and hands in the 

 usual manner. The habit gradually wore away, and 

 now. when she is a little over four rears old, she is never 

 seen to act thus. The father is told that he sometimes 

 shrugs his shoulders, especially when arguing with any 

 one; but it is extremely improbable that his daughter 

 should have imitated him at so early an age; for, as he 

 remarks, she could not possibly have often seen this 

 gesture in him. Moreover, if the habit had been ac- 

 quired through imitation, it is not probable that it would 

 so soon have been spontaneously discontinued by this 

 child, and, as we shall immediately see, by a second child, 

 though the father still lived with his family. This little 

 girl, it may be added, resembles her Parisian grand- 

 father in countenance to an almost absurd degree. She 

 also presents another and very curious resemblance to 

 him, namely, by practising a singular trick. When she 

 impatiently wants something, she holds out her little 

 hand, and rapidly rubs the thumb against the index 

 and middle finger: now this same trick was frequently 

 performed under the same circumstances by her grand- 

 father. 



This gentleman's second daughter also shrugged her 

 shoulders before the age of eighteen months, and after- 

 wards discontinued the habit. It is of course possible 

 that she may have imitated her elder sister; but she 

 continued it after her sister had lost the habit. She at 

 first resembled her Parisian grandfather in a less degree 

 than did her sister at the same age, but now in a greater 

 degree. She likewise practises to the present time the 

 peculiar habit of rubbing together, when impatient, her 

 thumb and two of her fore-fingers. 

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