;- OF INSTINCT. 219 



air, and he fettled again with his prey upon the 

 gravel. I then diftinctly obferved him cut off with 

 his mouth, firft one of the wings, and then the 

 other, after which he flew away with it unmolefted 

 by the wind. 



Go, thou fluggard, learn arts and induftry from 

 the bee, and from the ant ! 



Go proud reafoner, and call the worm thy fifter! 



XVII Conclufton. 



It was before obferved how much the fuperior 

 accuracy of our fenfe of touch contributes to increafe 

 our knowledge; but it is the greater energy and 

 activity of the power of volition fas explained in 

 the former Sections of this workj that marks man- 

 kind, and has given him the empire of the world. 



There is a criterion by which we may diftinguifh 

 our voluntary acts or thoughts from thofe that are 

 excited by our fenfations : " The former are al- 

 ways employed about the means to acquire plea- 

 furable objects, or to avoid painful ones : while the 

 latter are employed about the poffeffion of thofe that 

 are already in our power." 



If we turn our eyes upon the fabric of our fel- 

 low animals, we find they are fupported with bones, 

 covered with {kins, moved by mufcles ; that they 

 poffefs the fame fenfes, acknowledge the fame ap- 

 petites, and are nourifhed by the fame aliment with 

 ourfelves ; and we mould hence conclude from the 

 ftrongeft analogy, that their internal faculties were 

 alfo in fome meafure fimilar to our own, 



Mr. Locke indeed publifhed an opinion, that 

 other animals pofiefled no abftract or general ideas, 

 and thought this circumflance was the barrier be- 

 tween the brute and the human world. But thefe 

 abftra&ed ideas have been fince demonftrated by 

 . I, ( Biihpp 



