60 EXPRESSION. 



shut and mouth open, evidently roaring. Cover 

 with a card all but the face, and draw on the card 

 the body of a fat old man lying back in his chair, 

 and the child's face, without a stroke of change, will 

 be converted into the bald head of the old man con- 

 vulsed with laughter. How so ? Simply because 

 old men are more given to roar with laughter than 

 to bellow like children. 



There is another of Mr. Darwin's illustrations with 

 which a similar experiment may be made, namely, 

 Plate V. fig. i, a female head expressing disdain. 

 Hide the neck, and make that head bend over a 

 figure so drawn that the head shall have a droop in 

 keeping with the direction of the eyes, and the ex- 

 pression of contempt completely disappears, giving 

 place to one which is serious and quiet. The ex- 

 periment, however, could not have been successful 

 if the expression had been carried further by the 

 curling of the upper lip. When contempt is ex- 

 pressed merely by attitude, it is done, as I have 

 said, by upward and backward motion of the head, 

 and a glance in precisely the opposite direction. 

 When the features aid the expression, they act on 

 the same principle. While the angles of the mouth 

 are free from all elevation, or are even depressed, in 

 token of the depressing effect of the unpleasant, re- 

 treat upwards and backwards from that which excites 



