EYE LANGUAGE. 371 



when a creature is in a dark corner and we are between it and the 

 light, or when we are carrying a lamp or candle at night-time. 

 When it is dark the pnpils of all animals naturally dilate almost to 

 their full extent, and therefore the sudden appearance of an artificial 

 light finds the eyes in much the same condition as they would be in 

 if under the influence of atropine. Any one who has taken a bright 

 lantern into a cow stall or stable at night must have been struck by 

 the glinting eyes of the animals turned toward him. Pot hunters, 

 in the days when deer were plentiful in America, used to go out at 

 night with an assistant carrying some blazing pine knots just behind 

 them. The eyes of the startled deer with their pupils dilated with 

 terror and darkness at once afforded a deadly mark to the " sports- 

 man." The method was not without its dangers, especially in the 

 settled regions, and innumerable tales are told of domestic animals 

 having been shot by some careless " fire hunter." 



I have never been able to make out why the light coming from 

 the eyes of most animals seems to be almost as pale as that from the 

 glowworm. Wehn we examine the human eye with an ophthalmo- 

 scope the light reflected from the retina is red, because that mem- 

 brane is filled with a network of innumerable blood vessels. The 

 eyes of the enraged panther mentioned above threw back a distinctly 

 red light, but usually, especially when one is at some little distance, 

 eyes shining in the dark look of a pale-green color. 



Other emotions besides that of anger seem to cause an enlarge- 

 ment of the pupils, but it is by no means easy to explain why this 

 should be the case. Like most of the functions which are under the 

 control of the sympathetic system, exercise increases the tendency. 

 Hence, wherever one sees a person whose pupils dilate or contract 

 very readily, one may at once infer that one is dealing with an emo- 

 tional and excitable nature. 



I shall not attempt on this occasion to point out all the peculiari- 

 ties observable in the human eyes which aid us in reading character, 

 and, moreover, it would be exceedingly difficult to analyze verbally 

 some of the intuitive judgments we form from such sources every 

 day of our lives. As was remarked above, such judgments are fre- 

 quently based upon mere instincts, and seem to spring from those 

 lower mental centers which -we possess in common with the lower 

 animals. One generalization which was made several years ago by 

 my friend Mr. J. A. Fothergill is, however, worthy of mention. 

 When the eyes are somewhat prominent and are half veiled by 

 drooping lids (a type well marked in the late Lord Beaconsfield), it is 

 almost invariably a sign of superior mental qualities. — Bladcwood' s 

 Magazine. 



