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NEW BOOKS.

The new work of Mr. Charles Darwin, on the Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (Murray) will be sought with eagerness by those whose intellectual curiosity has found a pleasing excitement in "The Origin of Species" and "The Descent of Man." But its argument, though subsidiary to his main theory, inasmuch as it regards the development of modes of expression for different feelings as a process which commenced with some common progenitor of man and of the ape, is not dogmatically thrust upon the reader's attention. He rather endeavours to analyse this process of development, which he refers to three general causes; first, the tendency to repeat, in a recurring state of mind, where particular sensations or desires are excited, the complex actions which have before proved serviceable for their relief or gratification; secondly, the tendency to actions of a directly opposite nature, though useless, where a state of mind has been induced opposite to that associated with the former class of actions; and, thirdly, the reflex action, involuntary and often unconscious, of the nervous system; but this in some cases resulting from habit. The utterance of tones or inarticulate sounds by the voice, or by other means; the bristling of hair and feathers; the pricking up or drawing back of the ears; the special gestures of dogs, cats, horses, and monkeys, which differ so widely in this respect; the motions of the back, the tail, the feet or paws, the lips and tongue, in these animals, are minutely examined. In the sixth chapter, Mr. Darwin considers the nature of the special modes of expressing emotion which belong to mankind. Weeping, as an expression of suffering, he ascribes to the distension of the blood vessels of the eye, occasioned by a prolonged fit of screaming in infancy, and to a reflex nervous action affecting the lachrymal glands. The obliquity of the eyebrows, and depression of the corners of the mouth, as signs of grief or pain, are next discussed; from which the author passes over to the human expressions of joy, by smiles and laughter, and thence to kissing, and other ways of showing love. But this eight chapter is much too short and scanty. Nor can we put up with its slighting mention of the sweet osculatory token of affection. The variety of facial contortions, effected by certain muscles of the forehead, eye brows, lips, and nose, which accompany the states of mental effort or perplexity, sulkiness and ill-temper, obstinacy, anger, defiance, scorn, disgust and disdain, pride, guilt and shame, surprise, fear, and other sentiments of our nature, are described with accurate precision. They are illustrated by the aid of several pages of small photographs, or heliotypes, which give an extremely forcible representation in each case of the countenance of some person under the influence of that particular feeling.

One chapter is devoted to blushing, which Mr. Darwin believes to be an expression peculiar to the human species, and one that is only produced by a mental emotion, shyness, modesty, or shame, of which self-attention is the essential element. He accounts for it by the theory that "attention closely directed to any part of the body tends to interfere with the ordinary and tonic contraction of the small arteries in that part."

These vessels become relaxed, and are instantly filled with arterial blood. It is the face, and other commonly-exposed parts of the body, to which attention is unconsciously directed whenever we think that other persons are thinking about us, though our concern may not always refer to their opinion of our personal appearance.

In conclusion, Mr. Darwin observes that the chief expressive actions, common to man and lower animals, have not been learnt by imitation, but have come by inheritance from preceding generations. He finds them essentially the same all over the world. This fact supplies, in his judgement, a fresh argument for the descent of the several races of mankind

"from a single parent-stock, which must have been almost completely human in structure, and to a large extent in mild"- a considerable advance on the chimpanzee or the gorilla. Setting aside that question of the origin of species, upon which the author has not yet convinced all the world that he is in the right, Mr. Darwin's new book is both interesting and instructive. Though it can scarcely, be accepted as a complete account of the subject, it contains a large store of facts, conveniently arranged, for the service of philosophical inquirers, who may take up this matter at a future time.