then commonly uttered can apparently be accounted for. But sometimes a strong expiration alone is heard; thus Laura Bridgman, when amazed, rounds and protrudes her lips, opens them, and breathes strongly. 10 One of the commonest sounds is a deep Oh ; and this would naturally follow, as explained by Helmholtz, from the mouth being moderately opened and the lips protruded. On a quiet night some rockets were fired from the 'Beagle,' in a little creek at Tahiti, to amuse the natives; and as each rocket was let off there was absolute silence, but this was invariably followed by a deep groaning Oh , resounding all round the bay. Mr. Washington Matthews says that the North American 9 [Mr. Wallace ('Quarterly Journal of Science,' Jan. 1873, p. 116) suggests that among our savage ancestors, danger to themselves or others would often be associated with the cause of amazement, and that the open mouth may be the rudiment, as it were, of the cry of alarm or encouragement. He explains the action of the hands as appropriate movements "either to defend the observer's face or body or to prepare to give assistance to the person in danger." He points out that nearly the same attitude of the hands is adopted when we rush to the assistance of some one in danger, the hands ready to grasp and save him." But it should be noted that there is no tendency to open the mouth under these circumstances.] Indians express astonishment by a