Caption:

Drawing from life by Mr Wood. Plate taken from 'Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals', published in 1872 by Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Darwin, the great British naturalist and originator of evolutionary theory, made this study of animals to disprove the contemporary belief that only humans were capable of expressing true emotion. He cataloged many different animals' facial expressions and their use of body language to express feeling. He recorded that: 'A savage cat assumes a crouching position with the body extended. The whole tail, or the tip alone, is lashed or curled from side to side. The ears are closely pressed backwards. The mouth is partially opened, showing the teeth, and the cat occasionally utters a fierce growl.'