Concerning Eyes. 195 
tions. One would not look for these fiery eyes 
amongst the peaceful children of civilization, who, 
when they make war, do so without anger, and kill 
their enemies by machinery, without even seeing 
them; but amongst savage or semi-savage men, 
carnivorous in their diet, fierce in disposition, and 
extremely violent in their passions. It is precisely 
amongst people of this description that I have lived 
a great deal. I have often seen them frenzied with 
excitement, their faces white as ashes, hair erect, 
and eyes drooping great tears of rage, but I have 
never seen anything in them even approaching to 
that fiery appearance described in the owl. 
Nature has done comparatively little for the 
human eye, not only in denying it the terrifying 
splendours found in some other species, but also in 
the minor merit of beauty. When going about 
the world one cannot help thinking that the 
various races and tribes of men, differing in 
the colour of their skins and in the climates and 
conditions they live in, ought to have differently- 
coloured eyes. In Brazil, I was greatly struck with 
the magnificent appearance of many of the negro 
women I saw there; well-formed, tall, majestic 
creatures, often appropriately clothed in loose white 
gowns and white turban-like headdresses ; while on 
their round polished blue-black arms they wore 
silver armlets. It seemed to me that pale golden 
irides, as in the intensely black tyrant-bird Liche- 
nops perspicillata, would have given a finishing 
glory to these sable beauties, completing their 
0 2 
