174 HISTORY OF 



kind is to be found in the greatest plenty. The 

 wolf, for instance, couples in December, 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 lay up provi- 

 sions for the winter, such as the beaver and the 

 marmot, couple in the latter end of autumn, so 

 as to have their young about January, against 

 which season they have provided a very comfort- 

 able 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 at any time supplied. Thus we 

 may, by feeding any of these animals, and keep- 

 ing off' the rigour of the climate, make them 

 breed whenever we please. In this manner those 

 contrive who produce lambs all the year round. 



The choice of situation in bringing forth is also 

 very remarkable. In most of the rapacious kinds, 

 the female takes the utmost precautions to hide 

 the place of her retreat from the male ; who 

 otherwise, when pressed by hunger, would be 

 apt to devour her cubs. She seldom, therefore, 

 strays far from the den, and never approaches it 

 while he is in view, nor visits him again till her 

 young are capable of providing for themselves. 

 Such animals as are of tender constitutions take 

 the utmost care to provide a place of warmth as 

 well as safety for their young ; the rapacious 

 kinds bring forth in the thickest woods ; those 

 that chew the cud, with the various tribes of the 



