NATURAL TJHEOLOGY. 35 



masticated ; that is, not over the mouth, but within 

 it. The sense of feeling completes this wonderful 

 arrangement, by having no particular situation assign- 

 ed to it. Being spread over every part, it warns us 

 of dangers of which we could not have been apprized 

 by our other senses. It would have been exceeding- 

 ly unfortunate, if we must have had to see every nail 

 and splinter before we could draw back from a dan- 

 gerous puncture ; or could only know we were 

 scorching up, by observing the smoke. We can offer 

 no natural explanation why this particular sense 

 happens to be extended over the whole body. The 

 eye can perform its duty from one little spot in the 

 head ; and why the sense of feeling should not have 

 been confined to the head also, we can only answer, 

 because it is a sense which cannot perceive at a dis- 

 tance, but must be present at every part, where its 

 office is required. 



T. You might have added another fact respecting 

 feeling, or, more properly speaking, the touch ; that 

 it is the most nice and delicate, where we have the 

 most occasion for its use, viz. in the ends of the fin- 

 gers ; though it is said to be more delicate in the tip 

 of the tongue. 



B. Is it not stated that there are more nerves, in 

 proportion, in the fingers, than in most other parts of 

 the body ? and we use the sense of touch more in 

 this part also, which must tend by practice to render 

 it more perfect. 



T. The mechanism of touch exists in perfection 

 in the ball of the finger. But whatever the reason 



