sometimes fold their arms across their breasts, an attitude which may
be seen with us. A firm determination, amounting to obstinacy, is,
also, sometimes expressed by both shoulders being kept raised, the
meaning of which gesture will be explained in the following chapter.
With young children sulkiness is shown by pouting, or, as it is
sometimes called, making a snout. [910] When the corners of the mouth
are much depressed, the lower lip is a little everted and protruded;
and this is likewise called a pout. But the pouting here referred to,
consists of the protrusion of both lips into a tubular form, sometimes
to such an extent as to project as far as the end of the nose, if this
be short. Pouting is generally accompanied by frowning, and sometimes
by the utterance of a booing or whooing noise. This expression is
remarkable, as almost the sole one, as far as I know, which is
exhibited much more plainly during childhood, at least with Europeans,
than during maturity. There is, however, some tendency to the
protrusion of the lips with the adults of all races under the influence
of great rage. Some children pout when they are shy, and they can then
hardly be called sulky.
From inquiries which I have made in several large families, pouting
does not seem very common with European children; but it prevails
throughout the world, and must be both common and strongly marked with
most savage races, as it has caught the attention of many observers. It
has been noticed in eight different districts of Australia; and one of
my informants remarks how greatly the lips of the children are then
protruded. Two observers have seen pouting with the children of
Hindoos; three, with those of the Kafirs and Fingoes of South Africa,
and with the Hottentots; and two, with the children of the wild Indians
of North America. Pouting has also been observed with the Chinese,
Abyssinians, Malays of Malacca, Dyaks of Borneo, and often with the New
Zealanders. Mr. Mansel Weale informs me that he has seen the lips much
protruded, not only with the children of the Kafirs, but with the
adults of both sexes when sulky; and Mr. Stack has sometimes observed
the same thing with the men, and very frequently with the women of New
Zealand. A trace of the same expression may occasionally be detected
even with adult Europeans.
We thus see that the protrusion of the lips, especially with young
children, is characteristic of sulkiness throughout the greater part of
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