ANIMALS 275 



description, will serve, since the animal itself, or a good print of it 

 must be seen, and its history be read at length, before it can be saia 

 to be known. To pretend to say that we have an idea of a quadru- 

 ped, 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 removal ; in such a case, therefore, there 

 is no other substitute but a good print of the animal, to give an idea 

 of its figure ; for no description 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 methods 

 of advancing natural history ; and yet, most of our modern systematic 

 riters 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 usu- 

 ally managed, much the most obscure. In a drawing we can, at a 

 single glance, gather more instruction than by a day's painful investi- 

 gation of methodical systems, 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 inspec- 

 tion. Most of our dictionaries, and bodies of arts and sciences, are 

 guilty of this error. Suppose, for instance, it be requisite to mention 

 the manner 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 shoemaker. A day or two in a shoemaker's 

 shop will answer the end better than a whole folio 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 Pa- 

 ris, 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 laborious 

 an undertaking. With regard to the descriptions in natural history, 

 these, without all question, under the direction of good sense, are ne- 

 cessary ; but still they should be kept within proper bounds ; and, 

 where a thing may be much more easily shown than described, the 

 exhibition should ever precede the account. 



CHAPTER XV. 



OF QUADRUPEDS IN GENERAL, COMPARED TO MAN. 



UPON comparing the various animals of the globe with each othei, 

 we shall find that quadrupeds demand the rank immediately next our- 

 selves, and consequently come first in consideration. The similitude 

 between the structure of their bodies and ours, those itmthcts \vhicl- 



