110 PHILOSOPHY OF ZOOLOGY. 



in other cases, he devours the whole. He kills and dresses 

 some animals, while he swallows others in a live state. The 

 taste of man exhibits still more remarkable differences of a 

 national kind. The animals which are eagerly sought after 

 by one tribe, are neglected or despised by another. Even 

 those which are prized by the same tribe in one age, are re- 

 jected by their descendants in another. Thus, the seals and 

 porpoises which, a few centuries ago, were eaten in Britain, 

 and were presented at the feasts of kings, are now rejected 

 by the poorest of the people *. 



Man, in general, prefers those quadrupeds and birds 

 which feed on grass or grain, to those which subsist on 

 flesh or fish. Even in the same animal, the flesh is not al- 

 ways of the same colour and flavour, when compelled to 

 subsist on different kinds of food. The feeding of black 

 cattle with barley straw, has always the effect of giving ta 

 their fat a yellow colour. Ducks fed on grain, have flesh 

 very different in flavour from those which feed on fish. 

 The particular odour of the fat of some animals, seems 

 to pass into the system unchanged, and, by its presence, 

 furnishes us with an indication of the food which has 

 been used. 



While many kinds of animals are rejected as useless^ 

 there are others which are carefully avoided as poisonous. 

 Among quadrupeds ) and birds, none of these are to be 

 found, while, among fishes and mollusca, several species 

 are to be met with, some of which are always deleterious to 

 the human constitution, while others are hurtful only at 

 particular seasons. 



See some account of the quadrupeds and birds anciently used as food, 

 i PENSJANT'S Brit. Zool. ii. p. 726. 



f The liver of the Arctic bear is stated to be deleterious, by that ac- 

 complished navigator, Captain SCORESBY. Arctic Regions, vol, i. p. 520. 



