204 



A HISTORY OF 



to which kind we shall judge it to bear the 

 greatest resemblance. It is enough, that a 

 distribution of this kind excites in us some 

 rude outlines of the make, or some marked si- 

 militudes in the nature of these animals ; but 

 to know them with any precision, no system, 

 or even description, will serve, since the ani- 

 mal itself, or a good print of it, must be seen, 

 and its history be read at length, before it 

 can be said to be known. To pretend to say 

 that we have an idea of a quadruped, because 

 we can tell the number or the make of its 

 teeth, or its paps, is as absurd as if we should 

 pretend to distinguish men by the buttons of 

 their clothes. Indeed it often happens that 

 the quadruped itself can be but seldom seen ; 

 that many of the more rare kinds do not come 

 into Europe above once in an age, and some 

 of them have never been able to bear the re- 

 moval : in such a case, therefore, there is no 

 other substitute but a good print of the ani- 

 mal, to give an idea of its figure : for no de- 

 scription whatsoever can answer this purpose 

 so well. Mr. Locke, with his usual good sense, 

 has observed, that a drawing of the animal, 

 taken from the life, is one of the best me- 

 thods of advancing natural history; and yet, 

 most of our modern systematic writers are 

 content rather with describing. Descriptions, 

 no doubt, will go some way towards giving an 

 idea of the figure of an animal ; but they are 

 certainly much the longest way about, and, 

 as they are usually managed, much the most 

 obscure. In a drawing we can, at a single 



glance, gather more instruction than by a 

 day's painful investigation of methodical sys- 

 tems, where we are told the proportions with 

 great exactness, and yet remain ignorant of 

 the totality. In fact, this method of describing 

 all things is a fault that has infected many of 

 our books, that treat on the meaner arts, for 

 this last age. They attempt to teach by 

 words, what is only to be learnt by practice 

 and inspection. Most of our dictionaries, and 

 bodies of arts and sciences, are guilty of this 

 error. Suppose, for instance, it be requisite 

 to mention the mariner of making shoes, it is 

 plain that all the verbal instructions in the 

 world will never give an adequate idea of this 

 humble art, or teach a man to become a shoe- 

 maker. A day or two in a shoemaker's shop 

 will answer the end better than a whole fo- 

 lio of instruction, which only serves to oppress 

 the learner with the weight of its pretended 

 importance. We have lately seen a laborious 

 work carried on at Paris, with this only intent, 

 of teaching all the trades by description : 

 however, the design at first blush seems to be 

 ill considered ; and it is probable that very 

 few advantages will be derived from so labo- 

 rious an undertaking. With regard to the 

 descriptions in natural history, these, without 

 all question, under the direction of good sense, 

 are necessary; but still they should be kept 

 within proper bounds ; and, whore a thing 

 may be much more easily shown than describ- 

 ed, the exhibition should ever precede the 

 account. 



ee 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



OF QUADRUPEDS IN GENERAL, COMPARED TO MAN 



UPON comparing the various animals of 

 *,he globe with each other, we shall find that 

 quadrupeds demand the rank immediately 

 next ourselves ; and, consequently, come first 

 in consideration. The similitude between 

 the structure of their bodies and ours, those 

 instincts which they enjoy in a superior de- 

 gree to the rest, their constant services, or 

 their unceasing hostilities, all render them 



the foremost objects of our curiosity, the most 

 interesting parts of animated nature. These, 

 however, although now so completely sub- 

 dued, very probably, in the beginning, were 

 nearer upon an equality with us, and disputed 

 the possession of the earth. Man, while yet 

 savage himself, was but ill qualified to civilize 

 the forest. While yet naked, unarmed, and 

 without shelter, every wild beast was a for- 



