4.32 ANIMAL REPRODUCTIONS. 
dent defire to difcover new facts’ and enlarge 
our knowledge of the animal ceconomy. ‘There- 
fore, I fear the compaflionate reader will re- 
volt further ftill at what is yet to be related. 
But I beg he will confider, that animals, which, 
after lofing one, or even feveral limbs, con- 
tinue greedily devouring the prey prefented,, 
undoubtedly cannot experience the fenfation of 
pain to the excefs which our own fenfations lead 
us to imagine. We are very infufficient judges 
of what paffes within an animal fo remote from 
us in the fcale of living beings. Let it not be 
thought, that by thefe reflections, I mean to lef- 
fen the natural repugnance of every humane 
mind to make animals fuffer. The benignity of 
nature itfelf will infpire man with this precious 
fentiment to prevent the enormous abufe that 
his power might exert over the animals which the 
has fubjected to his dominion. _Yet let me afk, 
whether a rational perfon abufes his empire over 
animals, by making them fuffer only for his own 
inftruction, or that of his fellow creatures. 
With a fcalpel, I extracted the right eye of a 
large newt, 13 September 1779: but I did not 
cbtain the globe without much injury to the tu- 
nics. It was the firft time of performing the ope- 
ration, and before I had acquired the peculiar 
gexterity neceflary for fuccefs, and afterwards 
learned 
Se te 
