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Show 22! REFLECTION. CHAP. IX. the mere effort of speaking almost always causes their brows to contract. Men of all races frown when they are in any way perplexed in thought, as I infer from the answers which I have received to my queries; but I framed then1 badly, confounding absorbed meditation with perplexed reflection. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Australians, l\Ialays, Hindoos, and Kafirs of South Africa frown, when they are puzzled. Dobritzhoffer remarks that the Guaranies of South America on like occasions knit their brows.4 From these considerations, we may conclude that frowning is not the expression of simple reflection, however profound, or of attention, however close, but of something difficult or displeasing encountered in a train of thought or in action. Deep reflection can, however, seldom be long carried on without so1ne difficulty, so that it will generally be accompanied by a frown. Hence it is that frowning commonly gives to the countenance, as Sir C. Bell remarks, an aspect of intellectual energy. But in order that this effect may be produced, the eyes must be clear and steady, or they may be cast downwards, as often occurs in deep thought. The countenance must not be otherwise disturbed, as in the case of an ill-tempered or peevish man, or of one who shows the effects of prolonged suffering, with dulled eyes and drooping jaw, or who perceives a bad taste in his food, or who finds it difficult to perform some trifling act, such as threading a needle. In these cases a frown may often be seen, but it will be accompanied by some other expression, which will entirely prevent the countenance having an appearance of intellectual energy or of profound thought. 4 ' History of the Abipones,' Eng. translat. vol. ii. p. 59, as quoted by Lubbock, 'Origin of Civilisation,' 1870, p. 355. Ctu.P. IX. TIEFLECTION. 225 vVe nu1y now inquire how it is that a frown shoula express the percer tion of something difficult or di - agreeable, either in thought or action. In the same way a.s naturalists find it advisable to trace the embryological .development of an organ in order fully to understand Its structure, so with the movements of expres~ ion it is advisable to follow as nearly as possible the same. plan. The earliest and almost sole expression see~ ~ur1n? the first days of infancy, and then often exh1b1ted, 1~ th~t dis~layed during the act of screaming; and screaming 1s excited, both at first and for some time afterward~, by every distressing or displeasing sensation and emot1?n,-by hunger, pain, anger, jealousy, fear, &c At such times the ~uscles· round the eyes are strongly contracted; and this, as I believe, explains to a large extent the act of frownino- during the remainder of our lives. I repeatedly ~u;;;erved my own infants, from under the age of one week to that of two or three months, and found that when a screaming-fit arne on gradually, the first sign was the contraction of the corrugators, which produced a slicrht frown quickly followed by the contraction of bthe othe:· n1nscles round the eyes. 'Vhen an infant is uncomfortable or unwell, little frowns-as I record in my notes-. may be seen incessantly passing like shadows over Its face; these being generally, but not always, followed sooner or later by a crying-fit. For instance, I watched for so~e time a baby, between seven and eight weeks old, suclnng some milk which was cold and there-for~ di~pleasing to him ; and a steady little' frown was Ina1nta1ned al! the time. This was never developed into an actual crying-fit, though occasionally every stage of close approach could be oLserved. As the habit of contrncting the brows has been followed by infant: rluring innnn1rrahle grnerations. |