STUDY 1, 



87 



which, in their forms, their bills, their daws, their 

 fcream, and their fports, imitate, for the moft part, 

 birds of prey. Finally, they extend even to the 

 plants, denominated, for this very reafon, mimofas, 

 which reprefent, in their flowers, or in the aggre- 

 gation of their grains, infedts and reptiles, fuch. 

 as fnails, flies, caterpillars, lizards, fcorpions, &c. 



Nature, in forming and prefenting thefe corre. 

 Ipondencies, muft have fome intention, which I do 

 not comprehend. What is very remarkable, they 

 are common only between the Tropics, where the 

 forefts fwarm with every fpecies of the monkey 

 and parrot race. Perhaps fhe meant to exhibit, 

 under harmlefs forms, thofe of the noxious ani- 

 mals, which are there found in great numbers, in 

 order to expofe to the light of day the terrible 

 figure of thofe fons of darknefs and carnage, and 

 that none of her produftions fhould remain con- 

 cealed, in the womb of Night, from the eyes of 

 Man. 



Whatever may be in this, no one animal, on 

 the face of the Earth, is formed on the noble pro- 

 portions of the human figure ; and if Man, under 

 the impulfe of pafTion, frequently degrades himfelf 

 to the level of the beafls, his reftlefsnefs, his intel- 

 ligence, and his fublime affcvflions, fufficiently de- 



G 4 monltrate. 



