18 REASON PECULIAR TO MAN. 



" Instinct directs each kind of bird to choose that 

 material^ and to adopt that pecuHar form, that best 

 suit the constitution and number of her young. This 

 impelHng principle guides the eagle to fix her eyry on 

 the summit of a tall tree ; whilst the lark, moved by 

 the same irresistible inclination, places her humble 

 dwelling on the gi'ound. Were the feathered tribes 

 led by accidental choice alone, great confusion would 

 ensue. A waterfowl might build in the sandy desert, 

 whilst an ostrich might destroy her future progeny 

 by laying her eggs on the bank of a river ; whereas, 

 under this infallible director, every oviparous animal 

 deposits its offspring in that situation where it is like- 

 ly to find protection against injuries, and a plentiful 

 supply of food. 



" The results of instinct are stable, and exactly 

 adapted to the wants of its owner as a species, 

 whether beast, bird, fish, or insect : but reason is a 

 yielding quality, governed by circumstances, and ac- 

 commodating itself to the particular inclination or 

 desires of the individual. Instinct teaches men to 

 shelter themselves from the inclemencies of heat and 

 cold ; but reason enables every man to choose a dwell- 

 ing and situation peculiarly adapted to his own taste 

 and convenience. Reason, consequently, is various : 

 instinct uniform. The first is the privilege of man, 

 and is the test of an intellectual natui'e : the latter 



