as much knowledge of animals as is neceffary even for felf-prefervation: he would be abfolutely at a lofs with respect to unknown individuals. The Deity has left none of his works imperfect. Animals are formed of different kinds; refemblance prevailing among animals of the fame kind, diffimilitude among animals of different kinds. And, to prevent confufion, kinds are diftinguished externally by figure, air, manner, fo clearly as not to escape even a child. Nor does Divine Wifdom ftop here: to complete the fyftem, we are endued with an innate conviction, that each kind has properties peculiar to itself; and that thefe properties belong to every individual of the kind (a). Our road to the knowledge of animals is thus wonderfully fhortened: the experi *« And out of the ground the Lord God formed "" every beaft of the field, and every fowl of the air, "and brought them unto Adam to fee what he would "call them. And Adam gave names to all cattle, "and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the "field." Gen. ii. 19. (a) See Elements of Criticism, vol. 2. p. 490. edit. 5. ence ence we have of the difpofition and properties of any animal, is applied without hesitation to every one of the kind. By that conviction, a child, familiar with one dog, is fond of others that resemble it: An European, upon the first fight of a cow in Africa, ftrokes it as gentle and innocent: and an African avoids a tiger in Hindoftan as at home. If the foregoing theory be well founded, neither experience nor argument is required to prove, that a horfe is not an afs, or that a monkey is not a man (a). In fome individuals indeed, there is fuch a mixture of resemblance and diffimilitude, as to render it uncertain to what fpecies they belong. But fuch inftances are rare, and impinge not on the general law. Such questions may be curious, but they are of little use. Whether man be provided by nature with a faculty to diftinguish innocent animals from what are noxious, feems not a clear point: fuch a faculty may be thought unneceffary to man, being fupplied by reafon and experience. But as reafon and (a) See M. Buffon's natural history. experience experience have little influence on brute animals, they undoubtedly poffefs that faculty *. A beaft of prey would be ill fitted for its ftation, if nature did not teach it what creatures to attack, what to avoid. A rabbit is the prey of the ferret. Present a rabbit, even dead, to a young ferret that never had feen a rabbit: it throws itself upon the body, and bites it with fury. A hound has the fame faculty with respect to a harc; and moft dogs have it. Unlefs directed by nature, innocent animals would not know their enemy till they were in its clutches. A hare flies with precipitation from the first dog it ever faw; and a chicken, upon the fight of a kite, cowers under its dam. Social animals, without fcruple, connect with their Brute animals have many inftincts that are denied to man; because the want of them can be fupplied by education. An infant must be taught to walk; and it is long before it acquires the art in perfection. Brutes have no teacher but nature. A foal, the moment it fees the light, walks no lefs perfectly than its parents. And fo does a partridge, lapwing, &c. Dente lupus, cornu taurus petit; unde nifi intus Monftratum? HORACE. own kind, and as readily avoid others *. Birds are not afraid of quadrupeds; not even of à cat, till they are taught by experience that a cat is their enemy. They appear to be as little afraid of a man naturally; and upon that account are far from being thy when left unmolefted. In the uninhabited ifland of Vifia Grandé, one of the Philippines, Kempfer says, that birds may be taken with the hand. Hawks, in fome of the South-fea iflands, are equally tame. At Port Egmont in the Falkland islands, geefe, far from being shy, may be knocked down with a stick. The birds that inhabit certain rocks hanging over the fea, in the island of Annabon, take food readily out of a man's hand. In Arabia Felix, foxes and apes fhow no fear of man; the inhabitants of hot countries having no notion of hunting. In the uninhabited ifland Bering, adjacent to *The populace about Smyrna have a cruel amufement. They lay the eggs of a hen in a stork's nest. Upon feeing the chickens, the male in amazement calls his neighbouring ftorks together; who, to revenge the affront put upon them, deftroy the poor innocent female; while he bewails his misfortune in heavy lamentation. Kam Kamfkatka, foxes are fo little shy that they fcarce go out of a man's way. Doth not this obfervation fuggeft a final caufe? A partridge, a plover, a pheafant, would be loft to man for food, were they naturally as much afraid of him as of a hawk or a kite. We The divifion of animals into different kinds, ferves another purpofe, no lefs important than thofe mentioned; which is, to fit them for different climates. learn from experience, that no animal nor vegetable is equally fitted for every climate; and from experience we alfo learn, that there is no animal nor vegetable but what is fitted for fome climate, where it grows to perfection. Even in the torrid zone, plants of a cold climate are found upon mountains where plants of a hot climate will not grow; and the height of a mountain be determined with tolerable precifion from the plants it produces. Wheat is not an indigenous plant in Britain: no farmer is ignorant that foreign feed is requifite to preferve the plant in vigour, To prevent flax from degenerating in Scotland and Ireland, great quantities of foreign feed are annually imported. A ca may mel 1 |