forth in May, or beginning of June; and the female of the fallow-deer brings forth at the fame time, The fhe afs is in feafon the beginning of fummer, but the 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 feafon : and the fhe lion brings forth about the fame time. Of this early birth there is one evident advantage hinted above; the young have time to grow fo firm as eafily to bear the inclemencies of winter.

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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 economy would be pernicious, throwing the time of delivery to an improper feafon for warmth, as well as for food. Wifely is it ordered, that the delivery fhould conftantly be at the beft feafon for both.

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

One rule takes place among all brute animals, without a fingle exception, that the female never is burthened with two litters at the fame time. The time of geftation is fo unerringly calculated by nature, that the young brood upon hand can provide for themselves before another brood comes on.

Even a hare is not an exception, though many 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 themfelves, and leave her free to a new litter.

The care of animals to preferve their young from harm is a beau. tiful inftance of providence. When a hind hears the hounds, fhe puts herself in the way of being hunted, and leads them away from her fawn. The lapwing is no lefs ingenious; if a perfon approach, the flies about, retiring always from her nest. A partridge is extremely artful; fhe 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 roe-buck defends its young with refolution and courage. So doth a ram, and fo do many other quadrupeds.

It is obferved by an ingenious writer, that nature fports in the colour of domeftic animals, in order that men may the more readily diftinguish their own. It is not easy to fay, why colour is more varied in fuch animals, than in thole which remain in the ftate of nature: I can only fay, that the cause affigned is not fatisfactory. One is feldom at a lofs to diftinguish one animal from another, and provi dence never interpofes to vary the ordinary courfe of nature, for an end fo little necessary as to make the distinction ftill more obvious, Such interpofition would befide have a bad effect, by encouraging inattention and indolence.

The

The foregoing particulars are offered to the public as hints merely may it not be hoped, that they will excite curiofity in those who relish natural hiftory? the field is rich, though little cultivated; and I know no other branch of natural history that opens finer views into the conduct of Providence.

Of Animals; as divided into different Races or Kinds; from the fame.

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S many animals contribute to our well-being, by labouring for us, or by affording us food and raiment, and as many are noxious; our terrestial habitation would be little comfortable, had we no means but experience for diftinguishing the one fort from the other. Were each individual animal a species by itself (indulging the expreffion) differing from every other individual, a man would finish his days without acquiring fo much knowledge of animals as is neceffary even for felf-prefervation: experience would give him no aid, with respect to any individual, of which he has no experience. The Deity has left none of his works imperfect. Ani. mals are formed of different kinds, each kind having a figure and a temper peculiar to itself. Great uniformity is difcovered among animals of the fame kind; no lefs variety 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*. To complete this curious fyftem, we have an innate fenfe, that each kind is endued with properties peculiar to itfelf; and that these properties belong to every individual of the kindt. Our road to the knowledge of animals is thus wonderfully abridged: the experience we have of the difpofition and properties of any animal is applied, the kind. By that fenfe, a child, without hefitation, to every one of familiar with one dog, is fond of others that resemble it: an European, upon the firft 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 mant. Some animals, indeed, are fo fimilar as to render it uncertain whether they be not radically of the fame fpecies: but, in every fuch inftance, there is little need to be folicitous; for, I venture to affirm, that both would be found gentle or fierce, wholefome food, or unwholesome. Such queftions may be curious; but they are of no use.

The divifion of brute animals into different kinds, is not more useful to man than to the animals themselves. A beast of prey would be ill fitted for its station, if nature did not teach it what creatures to attack, and what to avoid. A rabbit is the prey of the ferret.

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fent a rabbit, even dead, to a young ferret that had never seen a rabbit, it throws itself upon the body, and bites it with fury. A hound has the fame instinct with respect to a hare, and moft dogs have it. Unless 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 first fight of a kite, 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 fhy when left unmolefted. In the uninhabited island of Vifia Grande, one of the Philippines, Kempfer fays, that birds may be taken with the hand. Hawks, in fome of the fouth-fea islands, 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 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 island, Bering, adjacent to Camfkatka, the foxes are fo litle 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 purpofe, not lefs important than those 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 country are found upon mountains where plants of a hot country will not grow; and the height of a mountain may be determined, with tolerable precision, from the plants it produces. Wheat is not an indigenous plant in Britain; no farmer is ignorant that foreign feed is requifite to preserve the plant in vigour. the plant in vigour. To prevent flax from degenerating in Scotland and Ireland, great quantities 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

Spanish horses degenerate in Mexico, but improve in Chili; having more vigour and fwiftnefs there than even the Andalusian race whose offfpring they are. Our dunghill fowl, imported originally from a warm country in Afia, are not har. dened, even after many centuries, to bear the cold of this country like birds originally native. The hen lays few or no eggs in winter, unlefs in a house warmed with fire. The deferts of Zaare and Biledulgerid in Africa, may be properly termed the native country of lions: there they grow to nine feet long, and five feet high. Lions, in the fouth of Africa, toward the Cape of Good Hope, grow but to five feet and a half long, and to three and a half high. A breed of lions, tranfplanted from the latter to the former, would rife to the full fize; and fink to the fmaller fize, if transplanted from the former to the latter.

To preferve the different 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 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 species is harmless, procreation goes on without limitation. All the different fpecies of the dog kind copulate together, and the mongrels produced generate others without end. But dogs are by their nature companions to men; and Providence, probably, has permitted a

mixture, in order that every man may have a dog to his liking.

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M. Buffon, in his Natural History, borrows from Ray a very artificial rule for afcertaining the different fpecies of animals: "Any two animals that can procreate "together, and whose iffue can al"fo procreate, are of the fame fpecies +.' A horse and an afs can procreate together; but they are not, fays he, of the fame fpecies, becaufe their iffue, a mule, cannot procreate. He applies that rule to the human race; holding all men to be of one race or 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 of one fpecies. With respect to other animals, the rule fhould pass without oppofition from me; but as it also refpects man, the fubject of the prefent inquiry, I propofe to examine it with attention. Providence, it is true, hath prevented confufion; for, in most instances, it hath with-held from animals of different fpecies a power of procreating together: but as our author has not attempted to prove that fuch reftraint is univerfal, without a fingle exception, his rule is evidently a petitio principii. Why may not two animals, different in fpecies, produce a mixed breed? Buffon muft fay, that, by a law of nature, animals of different species never produce a mixed breed. But has he proved this to be a law of nature? On the contrary, he more than once mentions feveral exceptions. He admits the fheep and

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the goat to be of different fpecies; and yet we have his authority for affirming, that a he-goat and an ewe produced a mixed breed which generate for ever *. The camel and the dromedary, though nearly related, are, however, no lefs diftinct than the horse and the afs. The dromedary is lefs than the camel, more flender, and remarkably, more swift of foot it has but one bunch on its back, the camel has two: the race is more numerous than that of the camel, and more widely spread. One would not defire diftinguishing marks more fatisfying; and yet these two fpecies propagate together no lefs freely than the different races of men and of dogs. Buffon, indeed, with refpect to the camel and dromedary, endeavours to fave his credit, by a diftinction without a difference.

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They are," fays he, "one fpe"cies; but their races are diffe"rent, and have been fo paft all memory. Does this fay more than that the camel and the dromedary are different fpecies of the fame genus? which alfo holds true of the different fpecies of men and of dogs. Ifour author will permit me to carry back to the creation the camel and the dromedary as two distinct races, I defire no other conceffion. He admits no fewer than ten kinds of goats, visibly diftinguishable, which also propagate together; but fays, that these are varieties only, though permanent and unchangeable. No difficulty is unfurmountable if words be allowed to pass without meaning. Nor does he even preferve any confiftency in his opinions; though in diftinguishing a horse from an afs, he

• Vol. 10. p. 138.

affirms, the mule they generate to be barren, yet, afterward, entirely forgetting his rule, he admits the direct contrary ‡. At that rate, a horfe and an afs are of the fame fpecies. Did it never once enter into the mind of this author, that the human race would be strangely imperfect, if they were unable to diftinguish a man from a monkey, or a hare from a hedge-hog, till it were known whether they can procreate together?

But it seems unneceffary, after all, to urge any argument again ft the foregoing rule, which M. Buffon himself inadvertently abandons as to all animals, men and dogs excepted. We are indebted to him for a remark, That not a fingle animal of the torrid zone is common to the old world and to the new. But how does he verify his remark? Does he ever think of trying whether fuch animals can procreate together? They are," fays he, "of different kinds, having no fuch resemblance as to "make us pronounce them to be "of the fame kind. Linnæus and "Briffon," he adds, " have ve"ry improperly given the name "of the camel to the lama and the "pacos of Peru. So apparent is "the difference, that other wri"ters class these animals with