NATURAL HISTORY. IV / 



&quot; That very portion which (by faithful skill 

 Employ d) might make the smiling public rear 

 Her ornamented head.&quot; THOMSON. 



they divide fantastically into branches, some of which project 

 over the forehead, whilst others are reared upwards in the air ; 

 or they may be so reclined backwards that the animal seems 

 almost forced to carry its head in a stiff, erect posture. Yet, in 

 whatever vay they grow, they appear to give an air of grandeur to 

 ths animal 



It may, then, speaking in general terms, be said that the easy 

 elegance of their form, the lightness of their motions, their size, 

 their strength, their fleetness, and the extraordinary development 

 of those branching horns, which seem fully as much intended for 

 ornament as defence, all contribute towards placing horned Animals 

 in the foremost rank of quadrupeds. 



525. Paley remarks upon the general question : A third property of an mal foriu 

 is beauty. I do not mean relative beauty, or that of one animal above aui-tLer of 

 the same species, or of one species compared with another of the same species ; but 

 I mean, generally, the provision which is made in the body of almost every animal 

 to adapt its appearance to the perception of the animals with which it converses. 

 He supports this hypothesis by an example The irides (colours) of the eyes of 

 animals are very beautiful, without conducing at all, by their beauty, to the 

 perfection of vision ; and Nature could in no part have employed her pencil to so 

 much advantage, because no part presents itself so conspicuously to the observer, 

 or communicates so great an effect to the whole aspect. 



This argument seems to be fully borne out by the fact, that the period wh&amp;lt;?n the 

 deciduous horns arrive at perfection, is the season of love between the sexes. 

 They continue in the male until the season of pairing, and in the female during the 

 whole period of gestation ; and as they drop off in both as soon as these great 

 labours of the year are over, it is evident that they have some connection witu 

 the sexual system, and consequently with the affections. 



But in point of utility much may be said. The horn of the deer tribe diffVis 

 materially in substance *rom the horn of the ox. The former supplied man wLa 

 some of his earliest an^ rudest instruments and weapons, and in the present days 

 of luxury and refinement contribute largely to ornamental and useful manufactures, 

 especially that of knife-handles, in which they are used in nearly their natural 

 state. The horns of the ox, goat, sheep, &c , are largely used for the manufacture 

 of ccmbs, boxes, lanterns, and other articles. The consumption in these various 

 nses throughout the world must be enormous. We see, therefore, ; ^ the horn of 

 the ruminant, all those offices combined which are exhibited in other remarkable 

 productions of nature: use to the animal; individuality of character au/ 1 

 appearance ; and utility to man. 



