ANIMALS, 355 



Superior to vegetation. At the same time, the 

 vegetables in those places are of the larger kinds, 

 while the animal race is of the smaller : but man 

 has altered this disposition of nature ; having, in 

 a great measure, levelled the extensive forests, 

 cultivated the softer and finer vegetables, des- 

 troyed the numberless tribes of minute and 

 noxious animals, and taken every method to in- 

 crease a numerous breed of the larger kinds* He 

 thus has exercised a severe controul ; unpeopled 

 nature, to embellish it ; and diminished the size of 

 the vegetable, in order to improve that of the 

 animal kingdom. 



To subdue the earth to his own use, was, and 

 ought to be, the aim of man ; which was only to 

 be done by increasing the number of plants, and 

 diminishing that of animals t to multiply existence 

 Was that of the Deity alone. For this reason, we 

 find, in a state of nature, that animal life is in- 

 creased to the greatest quantity possible; and 

 We can scarcely form a system that could add to 

 its numbers. First, plants or trees are provided 

 by nature of the largest kinds ; and, consequently, 

 the nourishing Surface is thus extended. In the 

 second place, there are animals peculiar to every 

 part of the vegetable, so that no part of it is 

 lost. But the greatest possible increase of life 

 would still be deficient, were there not other ani- 

 mals that lived upon animals $ and these are 

 themselves, in turn, food for some other greater 

 and stronger set of creatures. Were all animals 

 to live upon vegetables alone, thousands would 

 be extinct that now have existence, as the quantity 



