Have birds and beasts no more perception or feeling, 

 knowledge, or consciousness, understanding or will, 

 than the herbs, the trees and the flowers ? Is the grass 

 of the fitld as wise a thing as the animal which eats 

 it? Excuse n,e, here my friends ; I dare assert no 

 such paradoxes. What if some of the early actions 

 of brute creatures are merely the effects of such ma- 

 chinery and instinct as I bt fore described ? It does 

 not follow thence, that all the actions and operations 

 of their lives must be ascribed to such a mechanical 

 principle. Even in human nature, where there is an 

 undoubted principle of sense and reasoning, (here are 

 s.ome early actions which seem to be the proper ef- 

 fects of such instinct or mechanism, and are owing 

 to the wondrous Divine Artifice in the contrivance of 

 their atimal bodies, and not to any exercise ol their 

 own reasoning powers. How doth the infant hunt 

 after the breast, and take it into its mouth, moving 

 the lips, tongue arid palate in the most proper forms 

 for sucking in the milk to nourish it ? How does it 

 T< adily shut the eyes, to cover them from any danger 

 near ? How does it raise its cries and wailing aloud 

 for help when it is hurt ; these are certainly the ef- 

 fects of instinct in their outward members, as much 

 as (he circulation of their blood and the digestion of 

 their food in their bowels and inward parts. 



It is certain, there are several operations in the lives 

 of brute creatures, which ^eem to be more perfect 

 imitations of reason, ar.d bid fairer for the real ei-iect 

 of a reasoning principle within them, than these early 

 Actions which i have mentioned. What strange sub. 

 tilty and contrivance seem to be found in the actions 

 of dogs and foxes ? What artifices appear to be used 

 both by birds and beasts of prey, in order to seize 

 the animals which were appointed for their food, as 

 well as in the weaker creatures, to avoid and escape 

 the devourer ? How few are there of , the passions, 

 as well as the appetites of human nature, which are 

 not found among several of .the brute creatures? 

 What reseutaieut and rage do they discover? What 



