and during that feafon live in common. Difcord among fuch, would be attended with worse consequences than even among lions or bulls, who are not confined to one place. The beavers, with respect to pairing, resemble birds that place their nefts on the ground. As foon as the young are produced, the males abandon their stock of food to their mates, and live at large; but return frequently to vifit them, while they are fuckling their young.

Hedge-hogs pair, and feveral of the monkey kind. We are not well acquainted with the natural history of these animals; but it may be prefumed that the young require the nurfing care of both parents.

Seals have a fingular oeconomy. Polygamy feems to be a law of nature among them, as a male affociates with feveral females. The fea-turtle has no occafion to pair, as the female concludes her task with laying her eggs in the fand. The young are hatched by the fun; and immediately crawl to the fea.

In every other branch of animal oeconomy concerning the continuance of the fpecies, the hand of Providence is equally confpicuous.

confpicuous. The young of pairing birds are produced in the fpring, when the weather begins to be comfortable; and their early production makes them firm and vigorous before winter, to endure the hardfhips of that rigorous feafon. Such early production is in particular favourable to eagles, and other birds of prey; for in the spring they have plenty of food, by the return of birds of paffage.

Though the time of gestation varies confiderably in the different quadrupeds that feed on grafs, yet the female is regularly delivered early in fummer, when grafs is in plenty. The mare admits the stallion. in fummer, carries eleven months, and is delivered the beginning of May. The cow differs little. A sheep and a goat take the male in November, carry five months, and produce when grafs begins to fpring. These animals love short grass, upon which a mare or a cow would ftarve. The obfervation holds in climates fo temperate as to encourage grafs in the fpring, and to preferve it in verdure all the fummer. I am informed that in Italy, fheep copulate from June to July: the female goes twenty weeks, and is delivered in November

or

or December, precisely at the time when grafs there is in the greatest plenty. In April the grafs is burnt up; and fheep have nothing but fhrubs to browse on. This appears to me a fignal inftance of providential care *. The rutting-season of the red deer is the end of September, and beginning of October: it continues for three weeks; during which time, the male runs from female to female without intermiffion. The female brings forth in May, or beginning of June; and the female of the fallow-deer brings forth at the fame time. The fhe-afs takes the male the beginning of fummer; but she bears twelve months, which fixes her delivery to fummer. Wolves and foxes copulate in December the female carries five months, and brings forth in April, when animal food is as plentiful as at any other season; and the fhe-lion brings forth about the fame time. Of this early birth there is

* I have it upon good authority, that ewes pafturing in a hilly country choofe early fome fnug spot, where they may drop their young with fafety. And hence the risk of removing a flock to a new field immediately before delivery: many lambs perish by being dropped in improper places.

the

one evident advantage, hinted above young have time to grow fo firm as eafily

to bear the inclemencies of winter. :

Were one to guess what probably would be the time of rutting, fummer would be named, especially in a cold climate. And yet to quadrupeds who carry but four or five months, that oeconomy would throw the time of delivery to an improper feason, for warmth, as well as for food. Wifely is it ordered, that the delivery should conftantly be at the best season for both.

Gregarious quadrupeds that ftore up food for winter, differ from all other quadrupeds with respect to the time of delivery. Beavers copulate about the end of autumn, and bring forth in January, when their granary is full. The fame oeconomy probably obtains among all other quadrupeds of the fame kind.

One rule takes place among all bruteanimals, without a fingle exception, That the female never is burdened with two litters at the fame time. The time of geftation is fo unerringly calculated by nature, that the young brood can provide for themfelves before another brood comes on. Even a hare is not an exception, tho' many

litters

litters are produced in a year. The female carries thirty or thirty-one days; but she fuckles her young only twenty days, after which they provide for themselves, and leave her free to a new litter.

The care of animals to preserve their young from harm is a beautiful inftance of Providence. When a hind hears the hounds, she puts herself in the way of being hunted, and leads them from her fawn. The lapwing is no lefs ingenious: if a perfon approach, fhe flies about, retiring always from her neft. A partridge is extremely artful: the hops away, hanging a wing as if broken lingers till the perfon approach, and hops again *. A hen, timid by nature, is bold as a lion in defence of her young: the darts upon every creature that threatens danger. The roebuck defends its young with refolution

The following incident hardly deferves to be mentioned, it is fo common, but that the tear is fcarce dry which the fight wrung from me. A man mowing a field for hay, paffed over a partridge fitting on her eggs. Turning about to cut down a tuft that had been left, he unhappily brought up the partridge on the point of his fcythe. Such affection there is even for a brood not yet brought to light.

and