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 refemble 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 ass, or that a monkey is not a man (a). In fome individuals indeed, there is fuch a mixture of refemblance 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 beast 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. Prefent a rabbit, even dead, to a young ferret that never had feen a rabbit: it throws itfelf upon the body, and bites it with fury. A hound has the fame faculty with respect to a hare; 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 firft 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 inftings 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 own kind, and as readily avoid others *. Birds are not afraid of quadrupeds; not even of a 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 fhy when left unmolefted. In the uninhabited ifland of Vifia Grandé, one of the Philippines, Kempfer fays, 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 iflands, geefe, far from being fhy, may be knocked down with a flick. The birds that inhabit certain rocks hanging over the sea, 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 scarce go out of a man's way. Doth not this obfervation fuggeft a final caufe? A partridge, a plover, a pheasant, would be loft to man for food, were they naturally as much afraid of him as of a hawk or a kite.. The divifion of animals into different kinds, ferves another purpose, no lefs important than thofe mentioned; which is, to fit them for different climates. We 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 may 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 mel Our mel is peculiarly fitted for the burning fands of Arabia; and Lapland would be uninhabitable but for rain-deer, an animal fo entirely fitted for piercing cold, that it cannot fubfift even in a temperate climate. Arabian and Barbary horfes degenerate in Britain; and, to preserve the breed in fome degree of perfection, frequent fupplies from their original climate are requifite. Spanish horses degenerate in Mexico; but improve in Chili, having more vigour and fwiftnefs there, than even the Andalufian race, whofe off-fpring they are. dunghill-fowl, imported originally from a warm country in Afia, are not hardened, even after many centuries, to bear the cold of this country like birds originally native: the hen lays few or no eggs in winter, unless in a houfe warmed with fire. The deferts of Zaara and Biledulgerid in Africa, may be properly termed the native country of lions: there they are nine feet long and five feet high. Lions in the fouth of Africa toward the Cape of Good Hope, are but five feet and a half long, and three and a half high. A breed of lions tranfplanted from the latter to the former, would rife to the full fize; and VOL. I. B fink |