Острів доктора Моро
Concerning the Beast Folk.
Moststriking,perhaps,intheirgeneralappearancewasthedisproportionbetweenthelegsofthesecreaturesandthelengthoftheirbodies;andyet—sorelativeisourideaofgrace—myeyebecamehabituatedtotheirforms,andatlastIevenfellinwiththeirpersuasionthatmyownlongthighswereungainly.Anotherpointwastheforwardcarriageoftheheadandtheclumsyandinhumancurvatureofthespine.EventheApe-manlackedthatinwardsinuouscurveofthebackwhichmakesthehumanfiguresograceful.Mosthadtheirshouldershunchedclumsily,andtheirshortforearmshungweaklyattheirsides.Fewofthemwereconspicuouslyhairy,atleastuntiltheendofmytimeupontheisland.
Thenextmostobviousdeformitywasintheirfaces,almostallofwhichwereprognathous,malformedabouttheears,withlargeandprotuberantnoses,veryfurryorverybristlyhair,andoftenstrangely-colouredorstrangely-placedeyes.Nonecouldlaugh,thoughtheApe-manhadachatteringtitter.Beyondthesegeneralcharacterstheirheadshadlittleincommon;eachpreservedthequalityofitsparticularspecies:thehumanmarkdistortedbutdidnothidetheleopard,theox,orthesow,orotheranimaloranimals,fromwhichthecreaturehadbeenmoulded.Thevoices,too,variedexceedingly.Thehandswerealwaysmalformed;andthoughsomesurprisedmebytheirunexpectedhumanappearance,almostallweredeficientinthenumberofthedigits,clumsyaboutthefinger-nails,andlackinganytactilesensibility.
