Chap.XM. SURPRISE. 279 



with his eyebrows well elevated and arched by the gal- 

 vanization of the frontal muscle; and with his mouth 

 voluntarily opened. This figure expresses surprise with 

 much truth. I showed it to twenty-four persons without 

 a word of explanation, and one alone did not at all under- 

 stand what was intended. A second person answered 

 terror, which is not far wrong; some of the others, how- 

 ever, added to the words surprise or astonishment, the 

 epithets horrified, woful, painful, or disgusted. 



The eyes and mouth being widely open is an expres- 

 sion universally recognized as one of surprise or aston- 

 ishment. Thus Shakespeare says, " I saw a smith stand 

 with open mouth swallowing a tailor's news." (' King 

 John/ act iv. scene ii.) And again, " They seemed al- 

 most, with staring on one another, to tear the cases of 

 their eyes; there was speech in the dumbness, language 

 in their very gesture; they looked as they had heard of 

 a world destroyed." (' "Winter's Tale/ act v. scene ii.) 



My informants answer with remarkable uniformity to 

 the same effect, with respect to the various races of man; 

 the above movements of the features being often accom- 

 panied by certain gestures and sounds, presently to be 

 described. Twelve observers in different parts of Aus- 

 tralia agree on this head. Mr. Winwood Eeade has ob- 

 served this expression with the negroes on the Guinea 

 coast. The chief Gaika and others answer yes to my 

 query with respect to the Kafirs of South Africa; and 

 so do others emphatically with reference to the Abys- 

 sinians, Ceylonese, Chinese, Fuegians, various tribes of 

 North America, and New Zealanders. With the latter, 

 Mr. Stack states that the expression is more plainly 

 shown by certain individuals than by others, though all 

 endeavour as much as possible to conceal their feelings. 

 The Dvaks of Borneo are said by the Raiah Brooke to 

 open their eyes widely, when astonished, often swinging 



