ANIMALS. 173 



duty ; the mildest begin to exert their little force, 

 and resist the most formidable enemy. Where 

 resistance is hopeless, they then incur every dan- 

 ger in order to rescue their young by flight, and 

 retard their own expedition by providing for their 

 little ones. When the female opossum, 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 hunted, took her cub in her 

 mouth, and ran 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 times of copulation, so as to 

 bring forth when the provision suited to each 



