270 DARWINISM STATED BY DARWIN HIMSELF. 



fies all her feathers, and, looking as ferocious as possible, 

 dashes at the intruder. 



■o ,^* Several kinds of snakes inflate themselves 



rage 105. . 



when irritated. The puff-adder (Clotho arie- 

 tans) is remarkable in this respect ; but, I believe, after 

 carefully watching these animals, that they do not act 

 thus for the sake of increasing their apparent bulk, but 

 simply for inhaling a large supply of air, so as to pro- 

 duce their surpri singly loud, harsh, and prolonged hiss- 

 ing sound. 



ERECTION OP THE EAES. 



p n The ears through their movements are high- 



ly expressive in many animals ; but in some, 

 such as man, the higher apes, and many ruminants, they 

 fail in this respect. A slight difference in position serves 

 to express in the plainest manner a different state of 

 mind, as we may daily see in the dog ; but we are here 

 concerned only with the ears being drawn closely back- 

 ward and pressed to the head. A savage frame of mind 

 is thus shown, but only in the case of those animals which 

 fight with their teeth ; and the care which they take to 

 prevent their ears being seized by their antagonists ac- 

 counts for this position. Consequently, through habit 

 and association, whenever they feel slightly savage, or 

 pretend in their play to be savage, their ears are drawn 

 back. That this is the true explanation may be inferred 

 from the relation which exists in very many animals be- 

 tween their manner of fighting and the retraction of their 

 ears. 



All the Carnivora fight with their canine teeth, and 

 all, as far as I have observed, draw their ears back when 

 feeling savage. 



