Beneficent Distribution of the Sense of Pain. 303 



that description, loses its leg, it is a great chance if it does 

 not die of starvation, unless its prey be very plentiful ; there-, 

 fore, as the legs are of so much importance to these animals, 

 they seem to be endowed with a sense of pain in proportion 

 to their usefulness, as a guard for their preservation. 



From the ease and indifference with which crabs and lob- 

 sters will throw off their claws, when under the influence of 

 sudden fright, or when their claws are injured, it is evident 

 that their sense of pain from mutilation must be very little ; 

 and, according to the argument I have advanced, it may be 

 asked, of what use can the sense of pain be to any of the 

 crustaceous tribes ? They are coated in armour sufficient to 

 protect them from all minor enemies, and if they get into the 

 power of an enemy strong enough to crush through their 

 shells, of what use can the sense of pain be to them then ? 

 But they shew signs of great pain when thrown into boiling 

 water, and I see no reason why they may not be insensible 

 to pain from mutilations, and yet be sensible, in a high degree, 

 to pain from extreme changes of temperature ; for, as there 

 are no bounds to prevent their ranging over all parts of the 

 sea, it is probable that a sense of temperature is necessary 

 to them, and many other animals also, to keep them to those 

 parts of the world which they are formed to inhabit. It may 

 also be useful to keep them to those parts and depths in the 

 sea that are necessary for their young to arrive at maturity. 

 From the observation of Sir Humphry Davy, and others 

 well acquainted with the habits of fish, it is very probable 

 that the sense of pain in many of them is very trifling ; and 

 when we consider the fecundity of the cod, and many other 

 fishes, the number of eggs deposited by a single cod-fish in 

 one season (according to Leuenhock, upwards of nine mil- 

 lions), and bear in mind, that unless these fish more than 

 double their numbers annually, that of the myriads of fishes 

 that are hatched from these eggs, not more than three or 

 four, on an average, can arrive at the same maturity as the 

 parent fish, the others being all destroyed at different stages 

 of their growth, being the food of other animals ; it does 

 seem probable that there is a similar dispensation of mercy 



VOL. XLIII. NO. LXXXVI. — OCTOBER 1847. 2 C 



