Description of an Ourang Outang. 193 



from their brain. Instinct constitutes this order of phae- 

 homena; it is composed of ideas truly innate, in which the 

 senses have never had the smallest share. Every thing 

 unites, therefore, in my opinion, to convince us that it is 

 neither in the conformation of the hiijbs, nor in the greater 

 or less perfection of the senses, that we must seek the prin- 

 cipal cause of the intellectual qualities which distinguish us 

 from the lower animals, and even the cause of those which 

 perhaps distinguish the animals of certain classes. The 

 operations, the phjEuomena of our intelligence which cha- 

 racterize us, ought to proceed from higher and more potent 

 causes; faculties, even of the understanding, or of the or- 

 gan in which these faculties reside, i. e. the brain. Conse- 

 quently, we apply ourselves much more to appreciate the 

 use wliich our ourang outang made of its sensations, the 

 results which he knew how to draw from its ideas, than to 

 analyse these sensations themselves, or to seek for the ele- 

 ments and the nature of these ideas. 



All the faculties of animals concur to the same end, — the 

 preservation of the species and of individuals. The indivi- 

 dual is preserved by defending himself against dangers, and 

 by procuring what is necessary for his existence. The pre- 

 scrvaiion of the species is efl'ectcd by generation. It is, there- 

 fore, to preserve his existence, and to propaeatg, that an 

 animal employs all his faculties and refers all his actions; 

 and it is with respect to defending itself against danger, and 

 procuring necessaries for its existence, that the following 

 observations more particularly apply. Our ourang outang 

 was not old enough to have experienced the calls of nature 

 in respect to generation, and to exhibit their effects. This 

 plan simplifies the study of the intellectual faculties of 

 brutes. Hitherto the science which has had these faculties 

 for its object, has consisted of isolated facts, the nuiTiber of 

 which miglit still increase indefinitely without increasing; our 

 knowledue, if we did not endeavour to subject them to fixed 

 and proper rules, to regard them in their true point of view, 

 and to appreciate their real value. We know that the fa- 

 culties of the understanding are not developed until the 

 organs are formed : we are at hberty to suppose, therefore, 

 that if our ourang outang had arrived at an adult age, she 

 would have exhibited phasnomena still more curious than 

 those which we have to detail: but if we rcfli^ct that this 

 animal was scarcely 16 months old when it died, we shall 

 find plentv of subjects of astonishment in the observations 

 which it ailorded, and of whieh we are about to give an ac- 

 coimt. 



Vol. 38. No. 161. Sept. 181 I. N Q^ 



