NATURAL THEOLOGY. 39 



water, as the fish swims forward. It is also noticed 

 that the animals which have the sense of smelling in 

 the greatest perfection, are those which live by hunt- 

 ing, and have occasion to trace their prey to the 

 greatest distance. 



THE EYE. 



T. What evidences of design may be discovered 

 in the eye ? 



A. If any instrument may be said to exhibit con- 

 trivance, it is this admirable and beautiful little organ. 

 The eye is made almost precisely upon the model 

 of a telescope or spying-glass. There is the same 

 general kind of mechanism ; the same principles ap- 

 plied ; the same knowledge discovered of the laws 

 and properties of light ; only the construction of the 

 eye is much more ingeniously adapted to these laws, 

 and parts for the same purposes are contrived to 

 much better effect, than in any other telescope. In 

 short, an eye taken to pieces, for this is necessary to 

 form any idea of it, is such a wonderful spying-glass, 

 that it has taught the best telescope makers how to 

 improve their own instruments. It discovers several 

 curious contrivances, of which the most skilful artists 

 had never dreamt. Some of them are so wonderful, 

 that we shall probably never be able to imitate them ; 



