NATURAL HISTORY. 9; 



however, he could distinguish nothing, nor of colours 

 themselves, unless the light was strong. At first the 

 operation was performed only upon one of his eyes ; 

 and when he saw for the first time, he was so far 

 from forming the least conception of distances, that 

 he supposed (as he himself expressed it) every thing 

 lie saw touched his eyes, in the same manner as every- 

 thing he felt touched his skin. The objects that 

 pleased him most were those of which the surfaces 

 were plain, and the figures regular ; though he could 

 neither judge of their different forms, nor give any 

 reason why he preferred some to others. The ideas 

 lie had entertained of colours, during his former dark 

 state, were so imperfect, that, when he saw them in 

 reality, he could hardly he persuaded they were the 

 same. When such objects were shewn him as he had 

 been formerly familiar with, by the touch, he beheld 

 them with earnestness, in order to distinguish them a 

 second time. As of these, however, he had too many 

 to retain at once, the greatest number were forgot ; 

 and for one thing which he recollected upon seeing a 

 second time, there were a thousand of which he had 

 not the least remembrance. He was very much sur- 

 prised to find that those persons, and those objects, which 

 he had loved best, were not the most pleasing to 

 the eye. Nor could he help expressing his disap- 

 pointment in finding his parents less handsome than 

 he had conceived them to be. Before he ccnld dis- 

 tinguish that a picture resembled a solid body, above 

 two months elapsed. Till then, he only considered it 

 as a surface diversified by a variety of colours ; but, 

 when he began to perceive that these shadings actually 

 represented human beings, he also began to examine, 

 by the touch, whether they had not the usual qualities 

 Vol. I. M 



