MERMAID. 247 



praising the late Sir Joseph Banks very 

 highly, said, " Sir Joseph was an excellent 

 man — but he had his prejudices." What 

 were they? said my friend. " Why, he 

 did not believe in the mermaid." Pray still 

 consider me as the Baronet did Sir Joseph 

 — prejudiced on this subject. 



Orn. — But give us some reasons for the 

 impossibility of the existence of this animal. 



Hal. — Nay, I did not say impossibility ; 

 I am too much of the school of Izaac Walton 

 to talk of impossibility. It doubtless might 

 please God to make a mermaid ; but I do 

 not believe God ever did make a mermaid. 



Orn. — And why? 



Hal. — Because wisdom and order are 

 found in all his works, and the parts of ani- 

 mals are always in harmony with each other, 

 and always adapted to certain ends consist- 

 ent with the analogy of nature ; and a human 

 head, human hands, and human mammae, 

 are wholly inconsistent with a fish's tail. 

 The human head is adapted for an erect 

 posture, and in such a posture an animal 

 with a fish's tail could not swim : and a 



