cowers under its dam. Social animals, without fcruple, connect with their 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 shy when left unmolested. 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 Islands, geefe, far from being fhy, may be knocked down with a stick. 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 no

*The populace about Smyrna have a cruel a mufement. They lay the eggs of a hen in a ftork's neft. Upon feeing the chickens, the male in amazement calls his neighbouring ftorks together; who, to revenge the affront put upon them, destroy the poor innocent female; while he bewails his miffortune in heavy lamentation.

tion of hunting. In the uninhabited i→ fland Bering, adjacent to Kamfkatka, foxes are fo little fhy that they scarce go out of a man's way. Doth not this obfervation fuggeft a final caufe? A partridge, a plo-, ver, 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 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 quan

tities of foreign feed are annually imported. A camel 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 preferve 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 swiftness there, than even the Andalufian race, whofe offspring they are. Our dunghill-fowl, imported originally from a warm country 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 house 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 breed of lions tranf

a half high,

VOL. 1.

B

in

planted

planted from the latter to the former, would rife to the full fize; and fink to the smaller fize, if tranfplanted from the former to the latter *.

To preserve the different kinds or fpecies of animals entire, as far as neceffary, Providence is careful to prevent a mixed breed. Few animals of different fpecies copulate together. Some may be brought

* That every species of plants has a proper climmate where it grows to perfection, is a fact uncontroverted. The fame holds in brute animals. Biledulgerid, the kindly climate for lions, would be mor tal to the bear, the wolf, the deer, and other inhabi tants of a cold region. Providence has not only fitted the productions of nature for different climates, buɛ has guarded these productions against the extremities of the weather in the fame climate. Many plants clofe their leaves during night; and fome close them at mid-day against the burning rays of the fun. In cold climates, plants during winter are protected against cold by fnow. In these climates, the hair of fome animals grows long in winter: feveral animals are covered with much fat, which protects them against cold; and many birds are fatter in winter than in fummer, though probably their nourishment is lefs plentiful. Several animals fleep during winter in sheltered places; and birds of paffage are taught by nature to change the climate, when too hot or too cold.

to

to copulate, but without effect; and fome produce a mongrel, a mule for example, which feldom procreates, if at all. In fome few inftances, where a mixture of fpecies is harmless, procreation goes on without limitation. All the different species of the dog-kind copulate together; and the mongrels produced generate others without end.

66

M. Buffon, in his natural history, borrows from Ray (a) a very artificial rule for ascertaining the different species of animals : “Any two animals that can procreate together, and whofe iffue can also procreate, are of the same species (b).” A horse and an afs can procreate together; but they are not, fays he, of the same species, because their iffue, a mule, cannot procreate. He applies that rule to man; holding all men to be of the fame fpecies, because a man and a woman, however different in fize, in fhape, in complexion, can procreate together without end. And by the fame rule he holds all dogs to be

(a) Wisdom of God in the works of creation.

(b) Octavo edit. vol. 8. p. 104. and in many other.

parts,