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Show 316 BLUSHING. CnAP. XIII. for the much greater tendency in English women of these parts than of others to· blush; for the hands are well supplied with nerves and small vessels, and have been as much exposed to the air as the face or neck, and yet the hands rarely blush. We shall presently see that the attention of the mind having been directed much more frequently and earnestly to the face than to any other part of the body, probably affords a sufficient explanation. Blushing in the various races of man.-The small vessels of the face become filled with blood, from the emotion of shame, in almost· all the races of man, though in the very dark races no distinct change of colour can be perceived. Blushing is evident in all the Aryan nations of Europe, and to a certain extent with those of India. But Mr. Erskine has never noticed that the necks of the Hindoos are decidedly affected. With the Lepchas of Sikhim, Mr. Scott has often observed a faint blush on the cheeks, base of the ears, and sides of the neck, accompanied by sunken eyes and lowered head. This has occurred when he has detected them in a falsehood, or has accused them of ingratitude. The pale, sallow complexions of these men render a blush much more conspicuous than in most of the other natiyes of India. With the latter, shame, or it may be in part fear, is expressed, according to Mr. Scott, much more plainly by the head being averted or bent down, with the eyes wavering or turned askant, than by any change of colour in the skin. The Semitic races blush freely, as might have been expected, from their general similitude to the Aryans. 1'hus with the Jews, it is said in the Book of Jeremiah (chap. vi. 15), "Nay, ~hey were not at all ashamed, " neither could they blush." Mrs. Asa Gray saw an CHAP. XIII. BLU HING. 317 Arab manacring his b at clumsily on the Nile, and :he~ langhed at by his cou1panion , '' he blu h d q mt to the back of hi ne .k." Lady Duff rdon remarks that a young Arab blush d on comincr into her pre ence.Io b lHr. Swiuhoe has seen the Chin e blu bing but 1 tl . k . . ' le un ~s 1t 1~ rare; yet they have the expres ion "to " r~dd n w1th shame." Mr. ., ach informs me that th Chi~e e .settled in Malacca and the native Malays of th Interior both blush. Som of the p ople go n arly naked,. and he particularly attended to the d wnward ext ns1on of the blush. Omittillg the cas in which the face alone was seen to blu h, Mr. Geach ob en· d that the fac , ann , and. brea t of a hinaman acred 2±. years, reddened from shatne; and with a~otller Ch1ne e, when ask d why he had not done his work in better style, t~~e whole body was similarly a:ffi ctefl. In tw? Malays he saw the face, neck, breast, and arms blu h1ng; and in a third Malay (a Bugis) the blush extend d down to the wajst. The Polynesians blush fi.·eely. The Rev. Mr. Stack has seen hundreds of instances with the N z _ 1· d ,1, • • ew a c\11 ers. .1.he follow1ng ca e is worth givincr as it r lates to an old man who was nnu ually dark-~~lour d aud rartly tattooed. After having let his land to an E~gh h~an for a small yearly rental, a strong passion se1z:d hi~ to buy a gig, which had lat ly become the faslnon With the Maori . He con equently wi hed t draw all the rent for four )'ears from l11·s t t do I nan, an c n n ted Mr. Stack whether he could do so. ~rhe man 10 'Letters from Egypt' 18Gr- 66 I d G . . 1 M ' .), P· · ,a Y ordon IS mu;taken when w says alays and Mulattoes never blush 11 c a~t ..0 s bo rn (' Quedah,' p. 199), in sp. eaking of a Malay, whom ~lp. rhepwached fur cruelty, dlys he was glad to k!ee thu.t the ru· u u us ed. u |