Dear Sir

In reading your works on the descent of Man Expression of the Emotions and Origin of species the following remarks and observations occured to me and I take the liberty of of troubling you with them.—¹

Expression of the Emotions.—

The fact that a horse shews his teeth, keeping them together and raising his lip, when intensely pleased seems to be connected in some manner with the se⁠⟨⁠xu⁠⟩⁠al instinct, there can be no ⁠⟨⁠dou⁠⟩⁠bt when greatly pleased ⁠⟨⁠the ho⁠⟩⁠rse does uncover his teeth   I observed this in a poney I had; this animal had mange badly, and when the front of its neck and chest was scratched it stretched its neck and after a short time shewed its teeth.² This is not necessarily attributable to the fact that the horse would use his teeth for the purpose of scratching himself, I believe the stallion does this when he sees a mare at a distance; this expression is observed in the bull when a cow is brought near him.— I was buying a bull and wished to examine his teeth but this he would by no means allow, the natives suggested that a cow should be brought, on seeing the ⁠⟨⁠c⁠⟩⁠ow the bull immediately ⁠⟨⁠stre⁠⟩⁠tched his neck and opened ⁠⟨⁠his⁠⟩⁠ lips so as to expose his teeth producing the same expression as I observed in the poney. I consider this expression has some other explanation than you have given it, it would probably be found very general, and in the case of the bull it is readily produced. The bull in the case I refer to was humped, and the practice of bringing a cow to make a bull shew his teeth is a general one in India.—

Descent of Man. If man’s progenitors used the feet as prehensile organs, I thought it highly probable if the sole of an infant’s foot were gently touched the foot would tend to curl on the object touching it in the same manner as the hand closes on the finger or ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ small object placed in its palm.³ I accordingly tried the experiment on several infants and found the result as I anticipated; on gently placing the finger across the sole of the foot near the toes, being careful not to tickle the foot, the toes and instep curl round as if to seize the finger. It was objected that this was due to the foot being tickled, but on tickling the foot of a child nearly 12 months old the toes were retracted strongly and the leg drawn up, the same child contracted the foot immediately it was gently touched. The infants varied in age between 2 or 3 months and 12 months.—

Effects of Climate etc in alter⁠⟨⁠ing⁠⟩⁠ Mans physical const⁠⟨⁠itution⁠⟩⁠⁴

On looking over the Cuvier Museum (The anatomical Museum at the Jardin des Plants Paris)⁵ I was much struck with the likeness between the models heads of north American Indian chiefs and the typical Yankee as usually represented particularly by comic artists; the likeness between the European modified by the climate of N America, and the N American Indian, is well worthy of notice some of the casts (one in particular) of N A Indian Chiefs heads would serve equally well as representations of Yankee heads if the co⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ were changed to represent ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ of Europeans, I allude particularly to the physiognomy.—

I remain | Dear Sir | Yrs truly | John C. Douglas.

Certificated Science Master (Physiology & Physics). author of a work on Telegraph Construction.⁶ Officiating Superintendent of Telegraphs E. I. Gov^t Telegraph Department.—