Natural Limits for Animals . 13 



America into Europe, and also into other parts of the world, 

 in different ways. But these are exceptional facts ; and, 

 what is more important, these changes in the primitive dis- 

 tribution of organised beitigs, both animals and plants, have 

 taken place under the influence of man, — ^underthe influence 

 of a being acting not merely from natural impulses, or under 

 the pressure of physical causes, but moved by a higher will. 

 So that these apparent exceptions to the rule would only 

 go to confirm it ; as, within the limits of these secondary 

 changes, we see a will acting, just as w^e consider that the 

 primitive distribution of all organized beings has been the re- 

 sult of the decrees of the Creator, and not the result of mere 

 natural influences. 



Having thus led the way to what we would consider as a 

 fairer ground for investigating the natural geographical dis- 

 tribution of animals and plants, let us now examine the 

 natural lines which seem to regulate this distribution. No- 

 thing can be more striking to the observer than the fact, that 

 animals, though endowed with the power of locomotion, re- 

 main within fixed bounds in their geographical distribution, 

 although an unbounded field for migration is open to them in 

 all directions, over land, through the air, and through the 

 waters. And no stronger argument can be introduced to shew 

 that living beings are endowed with their power of locomo- 

 tion to keep within general boundaries, rather than to spread 

 extensively. There is another fact which shews that animals 

 are made to remain within these natural limits. We would 

 allude especially to the difficulty we experience whenever we 

 attempt to transport animals from their native country into 

 other countries, even if we secure for them as nearly as can 

 be the same conditions in which they used to live. Again, 

 observe the changes which animals undergo when they are 

 once acclimatized to countries diff^erent from their native 

 land. There can be no more striking evidence of this than 

 the endless variety of our domestic animals, and there is no 

 subject which more requires a renewed and careful investi- 

 gation than this. We do not, however, feel competent to 

 introduce this point more fully to the notice of our readers. 

 Some facts bearing upon the question may best be mentioned 



