DARWIN. 129 



The start of an older infant apparently represents a vague 

 catching hold of something to prevent falling. I shook 

 a pasteboard box close before the eyes of one of my 

 infants, when 114 days old, and it did not in the least 

 wink ; but when I put a few comfits into the box, holding 

 it in the same position as before, and rattled them, the 

 child blinked its eyes violently every time, and started a 

 little." The behaviour of dogs and horses under many 

 circumstances was watched. Cats and monkeys were most 

 carefully scrutinised. At all moments Darwin seized 

 upon and recorded the passing emotion and its associated 

 movements. " I remember once seeing a boy who had 

 just shot his first snipe on the wing, and his hands 

 trembled to such a degree from delight, that he could 

 not for some time reload his gun ; " an instance of an 

 emotional movement being disadvantageous. 



Some of Darwin's descriptions of emotional outbursts 

 are among the best portions of his writing ; as when he 

 speaks of a mother whose infant has been intentionally 

 injured, " how she starts up with threatening aspect, how 

 her eyes sparkle and her face reddens, how her bosom 

 heaves, nostrils dilate, and heart beats." In describing 

 a mourner when quiescent, he says : " The sufferer sits 

 motionless, or gently rocks to and fro ; the circulation 

 becomes languid; respiration is almost forgotten, and 

 deep sighs are drawn. All this reacts on the brain, and 

 prostration soon follows with collapsed muscles and 

 dulled eyes." 



One of the most striking features of this book is the 

 evidence it affords of Darwin's acuteness and persistence 

 in observation during his travels, and of the excellence of 

 9 



