days afterwards : llie clam takes care t^plaee near them 

 such food as is proper for them. 



Lastly, it is to be remarll)^. tliat (here is a kind o? 

 society among large animals ; tul?r memory retains faith 

 fully a certain number of signs and sounds-. Their soul 

 is affected by a variety of perceptions : sight and hear- 

 ing alone furnish an abundant source to them. Insects 

 afford us but very imperfect images of this. ' The lion 

 pismire iVignorant of every tiling but the snare he has 

 laid, and the prey he expects in consequence of it : his 

 eyes, .uhich are motionless and unmeaning, differ widely 

 from ours; nor is he affected by any sound- 



3. Those are, undoubtedly, the most perfect animals* 

 whose sphere of understanding extends to the greatest 

 number of objects. These are various in their opera- 

 tions, can shift about, and compass their ends by differ- 

 ent ways. 



The polypus only knows how to lengthen and contract 

 his arms : the spider spreads a net with a geometrical 

 regularity: the falcon and dog pursue their prey with 

 sagacity: the ape presumes to imitate man. 



Has God created as many species of souls as of ani- 

 mals 1 Or, is there onl\ one species of soul in animals, 

 differently modified; according to the diversity of or- 

 ganization 1 This question is absolutely impenetrable 

 by us. All we can say concerning it is this: if GOD, 

 who has always acted by the most simple means, has 

 thought; proper to vary the spiritual perfection of ani- 

 mals, merely by organization, his WISDOM has^so or- 

 dained it. 



4. At the summit of the scale of our globe is placed 

 man, the master-piece of the earthly creation. 



Not to dwell on the excellent construction of Ms 

 bpdy, let us consider man as an ,inle!ii-^tm b. ingi Man 

 is endued with? rcaou ; he lias ideas; he, compares these 



