STUDY OT EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION IN FELIS PARDUS. 231 



throws back his ears and presses them firml}^ against his head 

 when he is alarmed. The dog wags its tail and throws its body 

 into flexuovis movements when it is affectionate. The cat 

 raises its tipper lip, exposes its canine teeth, retracts its ears, 

 stiffens its body and forcibly spits and snarls when it is angry ; and 

 in man the emotions are so highly developed and expressed with 

 such distinctiveness that his temper, cunning, his strength of will, 

 his qualities of hatred and of love, his greed, sensiiousness, vanity 

 and many other emotions may be portrayed even o n his apparently 

 placid countenance. 



We cannot expect to see those higher emotions such as shame, sur- 

 prise, disgust, contempt delineated in the features or attitude of any 

 wild mammal we attempt to stiidy, though they can be discerned in 

 some of the higher ones ; and, undoubtedly, in a simple and elemental 

 condition occur in all. But we can and should be able to detect 

 internal evidence of those emotions ; such as fear, anger, rage, atten- 

 tion, distress, eagerness and affection, which are so much more gross 

 and simple in character and which play so prominent a part in 

 every stage of the animal's life. From the point of view of emo- 

 tional expression, the Felidse form an interesting groxip, and I have 

 endeavoured to obtain records of Felis pardus while experiencing 

 those emotions which are outwardly most distinctive and most 

 capable of recognition. 



Contentment (Fig. 1. Plate A. — Interested Contentment). 



In the contented and restful state when, after a satisfying meal, 

 the animal lies partly curled upon the ground and the body and 

 mind are calm and quiet or when the mental faculties are in com- 

 plete abeyance during sleep ; there is no rigidity of trunk and 

 limbs, no twitching of muscles or changes in facial expression : the 

 whole animal is limp and supple, its vokmtary musculature is in a 

 condition of physiological rest in complete unison with the calm 

 and inactivity of its mind. Occasionally while coiled in this con- 

 tended state the sight of some passing object may excite the 

 interest of the animal. It raises its head, opens wide its eyes and 

 looks steadfastly towards the object producing this mild excite- 

 ment ; the lower jaw drops and the mouth opens but not in anger ; 

 the whole countenance alters and the blank expressionless facies 

 which characterised the animal in its state of pure contentment is 

 changed instantaneously to one of interested intelligence. 



Feae (Fig. 2. Plate A.— Fear). 



Fear in a wild animal must be frequently associated with anger 

 and perhaps preceded occasionally by astonishment, though the latter 

 would be difficult, if not impossible, to detect. It does seem possible, 

 however, to obtain the expression of fear distinct from that of anger, 

 if the object causing the fear is so powerful as to overawe the 

 animal to such a degree as to prevent it from displaying its anger. 



