But this principle will not be brought into play in the case of those
emotions, such as terror, great joy, suffering, or rage, which
naturally lead to certain lines of action and produce certain effects
on the body, for the whole system is thus preoccupied; and these
emotions are already thus expressed with the greatest plainness.
There is another little gesture, expressive of astonishment of which I
can offer no explanation; namely, the hand being placed over the mouth
or on some part of the head. This has been observed with so many races
of man, that it must have some natural origin. A wild Australian was
taken into a large room full of official papers, which surprised him
greatly, and he cried out, _cluck, cluck, cluck_, putting the back of
his hand towards his lips. Mrs. Barber says that the Kafirs and Fingoes
express astonishment by a serious look and by placing the right hand
upon the mouth, uttering the word _mawo_, which means wonderful. The
Bushmen are said[1213] to put their right hands to their necks, bending
their heads backwards. Mr. Winwood Reade has observed that the negroes
on the West Coast of Africa, when surprised, clap their hands to their
mouths, saying at the same time, My mouth cleaves to me, i. e. to my
hands; and he has heard that this is their usual gesture on such
occasions. Captain Speedy informs me that the Abyssinians place their
right hand to the forehead, with the palm outside. Lastly, Mr.
Washington Matthews states that the conventional sign of astonishment
with the wild tribes of the western parts of the United States is made
by placing the half-closed hand over the mouth; in doing this, the head
is often bent forwards, and words or low groans are sometimes uttered.
Catlin[1214] makes the same remark about the hand being pressed over
the mouth by the Mandans and other Indian tribes.
_Admiration_. Little need be said on this head. Admiration apparently
consists of surprise associated with some pleasure and a sense of
approval. When vividly felt, the eyes are opened and the eyebrows
raised; the eyes become bright, instead of remaining blank, as under
simple astonishment; and the mouth, instead of gaping open, expands
into a smile.
_Fear, Terror_. The word fear seems to be derived from what is sudden
and dangerous;[1215] and that of terror from the trembling of the vocal
organs and body. I use the word terror for extreme fear; but some
writers think it ought to be confined to cases in which the imagination
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