Sect. XVI. 8. I. OF INSTINCT. 1 1 1 



early, and individual aflbciation, they acquire habits of occur- 

 ring together, that are afterwards indiflbluble. 



1. Of Fear, 



As foon as the young animal is born, the firft important fen- 

 fations, that occur to him, are occafioned by the oppreflion about 

 his precordia for want of refpiration, and by his fudden tranfi- 

 tion from ninety-eight degrees of heat into fo cold a climate.— 

 He trembles, that is, he exerts alternately all the mufcles of his 

 body, to enfranchife himfeif from the oppreflion about his bofom, 

 and begins to breathe with frequent and fhort refpirations \ at 

 the fame time the cold contracts his red Ikin, gradually turning- 

 it pale ; the contents of the bladder and of the bowels are evac- 

 uated : and from the experience of thefe firft difagreeable fenfa- 

 tions the paflion of fear is excited, which is no other than the 

 expectation of difagreeable fenfations. This early aflbciation of 

 motions and fenfations perfifts throughout life ; the paflion of 

 fear produces a cold and pale (kin, with tremblings, quick refpi- 

 ration, and an evacuation of the bladder and bowels, and thus 

 conftitutes the natural or univerfal language of this paflion. 



On obferving a Canary bird this morning, January 28, 1772, 

 at the houfe of Mr. Harvey, near Tutbury, in Derbyfhire, I was 

 told it always fainted away, when its cage was cleaned, and de- 

 fired to fee the experiment. The cage being taken from the 

 ceiling, and its bottom drawn out, the bird began to tremble, 

 and turned quite white about the root of his bill : he then open- 

 ed his mouth as if for breath, and refpired quick, flood 

 ftraighter up on his perch, hung his wings, fpread his tail, clofed 

 his eyes, and appeared quite iliff and cataleptic for near half an 

 hour, and at length with much trembling and deep refpirations 

 came gradually to himfeif. 



2. Of Grief 



That the internal membrane of the noftrils may be kept al- 

 ways moid, for the better perception of odours, there are two 

 canals, that conduct the tears after they have done their office 

 in moiftening and cleaning the ball of the eye into a fack, which 

 is called the lacrymal fack 5 and from which there is a duct, 

 that opens into the noftrils : the aperture of this duct is formed 

 of exquifite fenfibility, and when it is ftimulated by odorous 

 particles, or by the drynefs or coldnefs of the air, the fack con- 

 tracts itfelf, and pours more of its contained moifture on the or- 

 gan of fmell, By this contrivance the organ is rendered more 



fit 



