46 MAMMALIA. 



tion, on the contrary, the arrangement of these organs is everyway 

 perfect. 



The arteries which are sent to his brain, not being subdivided as 

 in many quadrupeds, and the blood requisite for so voluminous an 

 organ being carried into it with too much violence, frequent apo- 

 plexies would be the consequence of a horizontal position. 



Man, then, is formed for an erect position only. He thus pre- 

 serves the entire use of his hands for the arts, while his organs of 

 sense are most favourably situated for observation. 



These hands, which derive such advantages from their liberty, re- 

 ceive as many more from their structure. The thumb, longer in 

 proportion than that of the Monkey, increases its facility of seizing 

 small objects. All the fingers, the annularis excepted, have sepa- 

 rate movements, a faculty possessed by no other animal, not even by 

 the Monkey. The nail, covering one side only of the extremity of 

 the finger, acts as a support to the touch, without depriving it of an 

 atom of its delicacy. The arms to which these hands are attached, 

 are strongly and firmly connected by the large scapula, the strong 

 clavicle. Sec. 



Man, so highly favoured as to dexterity, is not at all so with 

 respect to force. His swiftness in running is greatly inferior to that 

 of other animals of his size. Having neither projecting jaws, nor 

 salient canine teeth, n.or claws, he is destitute of offensive weapons; 

 and the sides and upper parts of his body being naked, unprovided 

 even with hair, he is absolutely without defensive ones. Of all ani- 

 mals, he is also the longest in attaining the power necessary to 

 provide for himself. 



This very weakness, however, is but one advantage more it com- 

 pels him to have recourse to that intelligence within, for which he 

 is so eminently conspicuous. 



No quadruped approaches him in the magnitude and convolutions 

 of the hemispheres of the brain, that is, in the part of this organ 

 which is the principal instrument of the intellectual operations. The 

 posterior portion of the same organ extends backwards, so as to 

 form a second covering to the cerebellum; the very form of his cra- 

 nium announces this magnitude of the brain, while the smallness of 

 his face shows how slightly that portion of the nervous system 

 which influences the external senses predominates in him. 



These external sensations, moderate as they all are in Man, are 

 nevertheless extremely delicate and well balanced. 



His two eyes are directed forwards; he does not see on two sides 

 at once, like many quadrupeds, which produces more unity in 

 the result of his sight, and concentrates his attention more closely on 

 sensations of this kind. The ball and iris of his eye vary but little; 



