332 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



I 



nivorous ; while others are mild, temperate, 

 and gentle : And all of them, are not a little' 

 influenced, by the climate they inhabit. In the 

 hottest climate, and in the burning sands of Af- 

 rica, the most ravenous, and tlie fiercest animals 

 abound : The lion, the tyger, and the panther, 

 are there ; in their greatest size, their largest 

 numbers, and most extreme fierceness. lit 

 such places, the vegetables also contain their 

 strongest qualities ; the drugs, perfumes, and 

 poisons, are the most active, subtle, and power- 

 ful. In Ai];icrica every thing in her vegetables, 

 fruits, and animals, is more mild and tempcratCo 

 The quadrupeds that most abound, are the la- 

 ma, paco, buffalo, elk, deer, fox, beaver, hares, 

 rabbits, and squirrels ; animals, marked v.'ith a 

 mildness, and gentleness of character. Those 

 that are the most fierce, the bear, the wolf, the 

 W'ild cat, the otter, the cougar, or tapyr, are sel- 

 dom known to make their attacks upon men, 

 unless they are impelled to it by extreme hun- 

 ger, provocation, or self defence. It was not 

 therefore with the most fierce and ravenous ani- 

 mals, that America abounded : Her quadrupeds 

 were of a more mild, and temperate disposition. 

 To these, her climate gives the greatest size, 

 tliQ highest perfection, and the largest increase. 



IXCREASE AND MULTIPLYING PoWER, 



The increase and multiplying power of animals, 

 is derived partly from nature, and partly from 

 situation, and other circumstances. Nature 

 has ma.de those animals v/hich are the most 

 large, fierce, and noxious, the least apt to mul- 

 tiply. The smaller and more useful any quad- 

 ruped is, the more rapid is its increase. All of 



