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Show ' CliAP. It 56 NTITHEStS. THE PRINCIPLE OF A When this anitnal is vVe will now turn t? the cat .. t back in a surprising threatened b Y a d 0ocr ' It. arches 1 •st d 't 1nouth an sp1 s. manner~ erects 1•t s h ai r ' opensd I s• tll this well-1r nown · h cernB WI But we are not . ere con .. r cOinbined with anger; attitude, expressive of te~roh that of rarre or anger. . d only w1 t 0 we aro concerne .. be observed w1 1 en two This 1. s not of t en se en ' but may d 1 have seen I. t we 11 fi ht. C1' too-ether ; an b b cats are g 111 o 0 h·l~t plagued Y a oy. b age cat w I"' f exhibited Y ~ sav tl the sa1ne as that o rfhe attitude IS almost exal~ ~ over its food, which . a· t ·bed and grow mo . Tl n. ticrer IS ur b 1 ld in tnenageries. le o t have e le b d every one mus h. position ,vith the o Y . 1 s a crouc 1ng ' . · anima assume 1 1 tail or the tip alone, 1s extended; and the w 10.~ to 'side The hair is not lashed or curled fro;h si ~ the ~ttitude aud move· in the least erect. us ar, ·hen the animal is 1 the same as " 1nents are near Y . . and when no doubt, d ·ng on Its prey, ' Prepare to spri · t fiC1'ht there B t when prepanng o o ' ~t fee~s sd~:a~e. ~hat the ears are closely pressed IS this Iuerence, d h . g the b k ·ds. the mouth is partially opene ' s owin . h ac war , £ £ t are occas1. onal lY struck out wit teeth; the ore . ee nd the animal occasionally utters a protruded claws' a 9 d 10 ) All or almost all, fierce growl. (See figs. an . s h~reafter to be these actions naturally ~ollow (a d intention of expl ai.n e d) , fr·om the cats manner an attacking its enemy. t . a directly oppo::;ite Let us now look at a ca 111 • frame of mind, whilst feeling affect!on~t~and t~~:e~:~! her Inaster; and mark how opposit~ ~t e~t~ ~e; back every respect. She now stands uprlg w thel' slightly arched, which makes the h~ir. appc;r /~ein;,. rough, but it does not bristle ;_ her tal!, ms:eal ~d quit: extended and lashed from Side to Side, IS le rect stiff and perpendicularly upwards; her ears are e CHAP. I!. THE PttiNOIPL:n! OF ANT1THESIS. 57 and pointed; her mouth is closed· and she rubs ao·ainst ' 0 her master with a purr instead of a growl. Let it further be observed how widely different is the whole bearing of an affectionate cat from that of a dog, when "·ith his body crouching and flexuous, his tail lowered and wagging, and ears depressed, he caresses his master. This contrast in the attitudes and movements of these two carnivorous animals, under the same pleased and affectionate frcune of mind, can be explained, as it appears to n1e, solely by their moven1ents standing in con1plete antithesis to those which are naturally assumed, when these animals feel savage and are prepared either to fight or to seize their prey. In these cases of the dog and cat, there is every reason to believe that the gestures both of hostility and affection are innate or inherited; for they are aln1ost identically the same in the different races of the species, and in all the individuals of the same race, both young and old. I will here give one other instance of antithesis in expression. I forn1erly possessed a large dog, who, like every other dog, was tnuch pleased to go out walking. He showed his pleasure by trotting gravely before me with high steps, head much raised, moderately erected ears, and tail carried aloft but not stiffiy. Not far from 1ny house a path branches off to the right, leading to the hot-house, which I used often to visit for a few moments, to look at my experimental plants. This was always a great disappointment to the dog, as he did not know whether I should continue my walk ; and the instantaneous and complete change of expression which came over hirn, as soon as my body swerved in the least towards the path (and I sotnetimes tried this as an experiment) was laughable. His look of dejection was. known to every member of the family, and was called |