286 A HISTORY OF 



reproduce before they have arrived at half their natural size. Thus 

 the horse and the bull are nearly at their best before they begin to 

 breed ; the hog and the rabbit scarce leave the teat before they be 

 come patents in turn. Almost all animals likewise continue the time 

 of their pregnancy in proportion to their size. The mare continues 

 eleven months with foal, the cow nine, the wolf five, and the bitch 

 nine weeks. In all, the intermediate litters are the most fruitful ; the 

 first and the last generally producing the fewest in number, and the 

 worst of the kind. 



Whatever be the natural disposition of animals at other times, they 

 all acquire new courage when they consider themselves as defending 

 their young. No terrors can then drive them from the post of duty ; 

 the mildest begin to exert their little force, and resist the most formid- 

 able enemy. Where resistance is hopeless, they then incur every 

 danger, in order to rescue their young by flight, and retard their own 

 expedition by providing for their little ones. When the female opos- 

 sum, an animal of America, is pursued, she instantly takes her young 

 into a false belly, with which nature has supplied her, and carries them 

 off, or dies in the endeavour. I have been lately assured of a she-fox, 

 -which, when huated, took her cub in her mouth, and run for several 

 miles without quitting it, until at last she was forced to leave it behind, 

 upon the approach of a mastiff, as she ran through a farmer's yard. 

 But, if at this period the mildest animals acquire new fierceness, how 

 formidable must those be that subsist by rapine ! At such times no 

 obstacles can stop their ravage, nor no threats can terrify ; the lioness 

 then seems more hardy than even the lion himself. She attacks men 

 and beasts indiscriminately, and carries all she can overcome reeking 

 to her cubs, whom she thus early accustoms to slaughter. Milk, in 

 the carnivorous animals, is much more sparing than in others; and it 

 may be for this reason that all such carry home their prey alive, 

 that, in feeding their young, its blood may supply the deficiencies of 

 nature, and serve instead of that milk with which they are so sparingly 

 supplied. 



Nature, that has thus given them courage to defend their young, 

 has given them instinct to choose the proper limes of copulation, 

 so as to bring forth when the provision suited to each kind is to be 

 found in the greatest plenty. The wolf, for instance, couples in De- 

 cember, so that the time of pregnancy continuing five months, it may 

 have its young in April. The mare, who goes eleven months, admits 

 the horse in summer, in order to foal about the beginning of May. 

 On the contrary, those animals which lav up provisions for the winter, 

 such as thf beaver and the marmotte, couple in the latter end of au- 

 tumn, so as to have their young about January, against which season 

 they have provided a very comfortable store. These seasons for 

 coupling, however, among some of the domestic kinds, are generally 

 in consequence of the quantity of provisions with which they are al 

 any time supplied. Thus we may, by feeding any of these animals, 

 nnd keeping off the rigour of the climate, make them breed whenever 

 we please. In this manner, those contrive who produce lambs all the 

 year round 



