26 



18. What colour do you like best? 



Cheng. That depends upon what the thing is. 

 Eng. That depends upon whether for coach, person, handkerchief, 

 or coat. 



19. What colour do you like best in flowers? 



There was a large vase in the room filled with flowers in great 

 variety, and they both pointed to those that were of a saffron colour.* 



20. What season of the year do you prefer? 

 Cheng. The spring. 



Eng. The fall of the year. 



21. What kind of music do you like best? 

 Both. The piano — the hunter's chorus. 



22. What objects do you consider the handsomest, as possessing 

 the greatest beauty? 



Cheng. I could not answer that : I see so many. 



Eng. Handsome women. 



It will be perceived that none of the preceding questions were 

 framed, with the view of comparing the powers of ratiocination of 

 the twins. But, besides that the preparation of such questions would 

 have required more time and care than I could then command, it 

 was easy to see that our course of inquiry, however interesting to 

 me, was becoming tiresome to them ; nor am I sure that the very 

 comparison I proposed to make did not give some shock to the feel- 

 ings of pleasure with which they regard their consentaneousness on 

 almost all subjects, whether of opinion or taste. 



This general accordance in sentiment, which might have been in- 

 ferred, was confirmed by Mr. Hale. It appeared from his answers to 

 my inquiries, that they differed in opinion but seldom, and only on 

 such occasions as those in which an individual may in a short time 

 differ from himself, or experience a change of purpose; and the case 

 he instanced was the time when they should leave a place — one 

 thinking it better to quit on one day, and the other on another. But 

 the difference never led to disputation. With these rare exceptions, 

 there was an entire concurrence in their wishes, not merely from the 

 similarity of their tastes and desires, but also from the unwillingness 

 felt by each to contravene the desires or purposes of the other: as a 



* As the dress of the Siamese priesthood must always be yellow, and the 

 telapoins, or priests, constitute the most honourable class, it is probable that 

 this preference for yellow may be ascribed to associations growing out of the 

 customs of their country, especially as red seems to be the colour which is 

 preferred by all civilized nations, whatever may be their natural complexion. 



