288 ASTONISHMENT. Chap.XII, 



fingers, — 01% again, to straighten the arms, extending 

 them backwards with separated fingers, — are movements 

 in complete antithesis to those preserved under an indif- 

 ferent frame of mind, and they are, in consequence, un- 

 consciously assumed by an astonished man. There is, 

 also, often a desire to display surprise in a conspicuous 

 manner, and the above attitudes are well fitted for this 

 purpose. It may be asked why should surprise, and only 

 a few other states of the mind, be exhibited by move- 

 ments in antithesis to others. But this principle will 

 not be brought into play in the case of those emotions, 

 such as terror, great joy, suffering, or rage, which nat- 

 urally lead to certain lines of action and produce certain 

 effects on the body, for the whole system is thus pre- 

 occupied; and these emotions are already thus expressed 

 with the greatest plainness. 



There is another little gesture, expressive of astonish- 

 ment, of which I can offer no explanation; namely, the 

 hand being placed over the mouth or on some part of 

 the head. This has been observed with so many races 

 of man, that it must have some natural origin. A wild 

 Australian was taken into a large room full of official 

 papers, which surprised him greatly, and he cried out, 

 cluck, cluck, cluck, putting the back of his hand towards 

 his lips. Mrs. Barber says that the Kafirs and Fingoes 

 express astonishment by a serious look and by placing 

 the right hand upon the mouth, uttering the word mawo, 

 which means ' wonderful.' The Bushmen are said 13 

 to put their right hands to their necks, bending their 

 heads backwards. Mr. Winwood Eeade has observed that 

 the negroes on the West Coast of Africa, when surprised, 

 clap their hands to their mouths, saying at the same 

 time, " My mouth cleaves to me," i. e. to my hands; and 



13 Huschke, ibid. p. 18. 



