ANIMALS. 149 



number, or the make of its teeth, or its paps, is 

 as absurd as if we should pretend to distinguish 

 men by the buttons on 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 ani- 

 mal to give an idea of its figure, for no descrip- 

 tion 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 

 writers are content rather with describing. Des- 

 criptions, 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 usually managed, much the most 

 obscure. In a drawing we can, at a single glance, 

 gather more instruction than by a day's painful 

 investigation of methodical systems, where we are 

 told the proportions with great exactness, and yet 

 remain ignorant of the totality. In fact, this me- 

 thod 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 prac- 

 tice and inspection. 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 



