Ɛpsilon

From J. W. Clark   25 June 1875

18 High Street. | Southampton.

June 25. 1875.

Dear Sir,

In reference to your remarks upon the dilations of the pupils of the eye through fear, in your work on “The Expression of the Emotions”, I beg to send you the following, hoping, that it may be of service to you—1 I distinctly recollect observing, & remarking upon, the largely dilated pupils in an Irish water-spaniel, a black retriever, & within the last few days, in a fox-terrier which I have lately observed to ensure the correctness of my former observations.2 In the History of British India (Edinburgh Literary Library ed. 1843) page 32 I find this passage as descriptive of a horse’s fear of a lion—3

“.... his quivering limbs & large dilated eyes exhibit the depth of uncontrolled dismay ....”

The dilation I venture to think refers to the pupils (& not simply to the eyelids) because I have observed it in a donky not infrequently when frightened.

I shall hope to obtain some fuller & more exact information on this point; meanwhile I hope you will excuse the liberty I take in thus writing to you, and believe me to remain your sincere well-wisher & admirer, | J. W. Clark.

CD annotations

Top of letter: ‘(Expression)’ square brackets in original
1
In Expression, pp. 303–4, CD wrote that he had only one example of pupils dilating with fear.
2
A note was added to Expression 2d ed., p. 321, citing the examples of pupil dilation given by Clark in this letter and the letter from J. W. Clark, 16 September 1875. Clark’s name was given incorrectly as T. W. Clark in the note. Expression 2d ed. was published after CD’s death using CD’s notes.
3
The passage is from Historical and descriptive account of British India, from the most remote period to the conclusion of the Afghan war (H. Murray et al. 1843, 3: 31).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10030,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10030