220 NATURAL HISTORY, 



was presently reduced to order ; and if he surprised 

 nny one of them actually assaulting another, he used 

 to separate him from the rest, and punish him upon 

 the spot. Another proof of his dominion over all his 

 posterity is, that they were accustomed to return at a 

 whistle. Whenever I gave the signal, how distant 

 soever they might be, this old one immediately put 

 himself at their head ; and though he came first, yet 

 he made them all file off, and enter before him. 



CHAP. XL 



OF CARNIVOROUS ANIMALS THE WOLF THE FOX 



THE BADGER THE OTTER THE MARTIN THE 

 I'lXE-WEASEL THE POLE-CAT THE FER- 

 RETTHE WEASEL THE ERMINE. 



ANIMALS which have but one stomach, and whose 

 intestines are short, are forced, like man, to feed on 

 flesh. Of this affinity, and of this truth, we shall 

 procure certain information by a relative comparison 

 of the size of the intestinal canal in carnivorous ani- 

 mals, and in those that live solely on herbage. We 

 shall then find, that the difference in the manner of 

 living depends solely on the difference in their con- 

 formation, and that their nourishment is more or less 

 solid, as the receptacle for it is more or less capacious. 

 Hence, however, we must not conclude that those ani- 

 mals which live solely on herbage are, from physical ne- 

 cessity, as carnivorous animals are with respect to flesh 

 absolutely confined to one kind of food. It is not 

 meant that they might not use animal food, or that if 

 Nature had furnished them with arms, not only for 

 the purposes of self-defence, hut for those of attack 



