The Emotions in their Relation to Instinct. 187 



moves slowly, with head held a little low ; his back is yet 

 more thoroughly roughened ; his attention is absolutely 

 fixed on his antagonist, whose every movement he watches 

 with the keenness with which a fencer watches his adver- 

 sary; while all his muscles are ready for prompt and 

 immediate action. If the emotional state in both cases is 

 anger, it is anger with a difference. I do not attempt to 

 define the difference beyond saying that there is an element 

 of practical business in the one case which seems to be 

 absent in the other ; and this stUl leaves the matter toler- 

 ably indefinite. 



If we may judge from our own experience, there are 

 presumably, in addition to these actions and attitudes, 

 to the bracing up of the muscles and general readiness 

 and alertness, all of which constitute a group of motor 

 effects, another and not unimportant group of visceral 

 effects. These seem to be specially characteristic of the 

 class of emotions with which we are dealing. The cold 

 sweat, the dry mouth, the catch of the breath, the grip of 

 the heart, the abdominal sinking, the blood-tingle or blood- 

 stagnation, — these and their like, in varied modes and 

 degrees, characterize the emotions of fear, dread, anger, 

 and so forth, when they rise to any pitch of intensity, and 

 contribute largely to their sharpness and piquancy. In 

 so far as muscles are brought into play in connection with 

 the effects of this type, they are for the most part the 

 involuntary muscles. It will be convenient, therefore, 

 though perhaps not strictly accurate, to distinguish this 

 group of visceral effects, which may be regarded as part of 

 the private and individual business of the body, from the 

 other group of motor effects through which the organism 

 has to deal with that which evokes the emotion. 



Now, remembering that we have here under considera- 

 tion only what Prof. W. James terms the coarser emotions. 



