88), who has a good discussion on the expression of surprise.
[6] Dr. Murie has also given me information leading to the same conclusion,
derived in part from comparative anatomy.
Every sudden emotion, including astonishment, quickens the action
of the heart, and with it the respiration. Now we can breathe,
as Gratiolet remarks[7] and as appears to me to be the case,
much more quietly through the open mouth than through the nostrils.
Therefore, when we wish to listen intently to any sound, we either
stop breathing, or breathe as quietly as possible, by opening
our mouths, at the same time keeping our bodies motionless.
One of my sons was awakened in the night by a noise under
circumstances which naturally led to great care, and after
a few minutes he perceived that his mouth was widely open.
He then became conscious that he had opened it for the sake
of breathing as quietly as possible. This view receives
support from the reversed case which occurs with dogs.
A dog when panting after exercise, or on a hot day, breathes loudly;
but if his attention be suddenly aroused, he instantly pricks
his ears to listen, shuts his mouth, and breathes quietly,
as he is enabled to do, through his nostrils.
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