The mirthful greeting of sounds • 209 Early responses to the funny in the visible world • 212 First enjoyment of pretences • 214 Early laughter at the improper • 215 Dim perceptions of the incongruous and the absurd • 216 Early sense of verbal fun • 217 Summary of results • 218 CHAPTER VIII. THE LAUGHTER OF SAVAGES. Sources of our knowledge of savage laughter • 220 Different views of travellers on the subject • 220 Laughter as a salient characteristic of savages • 223 Descriptions of their movements of laughter • 227 Abundance of good spirits • 228 Laughter as accompaniment of shyness • 228 Laughter and fondness for teasing • 229 Rough practical jokes • 230 The way in which laughter is accepted • 232 Laughter of superiority and contempt • 233 Indecent character of jocosity • 234 Appreciation of the laughably odd • 235 Ridicule of foreign ways • 237 Laughter at the doings of the white man • 238 Laughter of the expert at the ignoramus • 240 Savage society and the white man’s _gaucherie_ • 241 Germ of sense of the absurd • 242 The ridiculing of fellow-tribesmen • 244 Reciprocal laughter of the men and the women • 245 Example of dry humour • 246 Organisation of laughter as entertainment • 247 Germs of the mimetic art • 247 Differentiation of professional jesters, etc. • 249 Amusing songs and stories • 250 Co-existence of different levels of laughter • 251 How to manage the savage by laughter • 252 CHAPTER IX. LAUGHTER IN SOCIAL EVOLUTION. Connection between laughter and social life • 254 Contagiousness of mirth as social quality • 255 Social uses of laughter • 256 Class-differentiation as condition of laughter • 258 How social grouping widens the field of the laughable • 259 Utility of reciprocal group-laughter • 261 Screwing up members of other groups • 261 Laughter of superiors at inferiors • 263 Quizzing of authorities by subjects • 264 Mirthful turning on task-masters • 265 Woman’s laughing retort • 267 Corrective function of laughter of inferiors • 268 Conciliatory service of group-laughter • 269 Summary of social utilities of laughter • 271 Laughter of other groups as corrective of self-importance • 272 Social movements as influencing laughter • 272 Changes of fashion • 273 Fashion and custom • 275 Merry aspects of movements of fashion • 276 Droll side of descent of fashion to lower ranks • 277 Laughter at the old-fashioned • 279 The movement of progress • 279 Mirthful greeting of new ideas and practices • 280 Laughing away effete customs • 281 Influence of mirthful spirit on social changes • 283 Effect of evolution of culture groups • 283 Effect of minuter subdivision of sets • 285 Effect of progress in breaking down group-barriers • 286