242 THE COUNTRY CLERGYMAN. 



pains, their apprehensions of danger, and their 

 prospects of future good, by modulating their voices 

 accordingly. Kadi individual of every species has 

 its own particular language, which is perfectly 

 understood by the rest. They ask and give assist- 

 ance to each other. They make their necessities 

 known, and this branch of their language is more 

 or less extended, in proportion to the number of 

 their wants. Gestures and inarticulate sounds, are 

 the signs of their thoughts. It is necessary that 

 the same sentiments should produce the same 

 sounds, and the same movements; and conse- 

 quently, each individual of a species must have the 

 same organization. Birds and quadrupeds, accor- 

 dingly, are incapable of holding discourse \\ ith each 

 other, or of communicating the ideas and feelings 

 they possess in common, although Mr. White in 

 in his * Natural History of Selborne,' mentions an 

 instance of attachment between a horse and a soli- 

 tary hen, the latter approaching the former with 

 notes of complacency, while the horse looked down 

 on his diminutive companion with evident satisfac- 

 tion. 



Dr. Hastings added, that this language of ges- 

 ture prepares for that of articulation, and that some 

 animals were capable of acquiring a knowledge of 

 articulate sounds. They first judge of our thoughts 

 by our gestures ; and afterwards acquire the habit 

 of connecting these thoughts with the language in 



