1G4 PECULIARITIES OF 



contrasting the compressed, narrow, elongated crania of 

 brutes, hidden behind their enormous jaws and face, with 

 the lengtl), breadth, and ample vault of the human " cerebri 

 tabernaculum "*," whose capacious globular expanse sur- 

 mounts and covers the inconsiderable receptacles of the 

 senses and alimentary apparatus. 



In later times the subject has been investigated in a dif- 

 ferent way — by comparing the proportion which the mass 

 of the brain bears to the whole body. The result of this 

 comparison In the more common and domestic animals was 

 deemed so satisfactory, that, without prosecuting the in- 

 quiry further, a general proposition was laid down, that man 

 has the largest brain in proportion to his body. More mo- 

 dern physiologists, however, in following up this compara^ 

 tive view in a greater number of animals, have been consi- 

 derably perplexed at discovering many exceptions to the ge- 

 neral position. They found that several mammalia, as the 

 dolphin, seals, some quadrumana, and some animals of the 

 mouse kind, equal the human subject, and that some small 

 birds even exceed him in this respect f. 



As these latter observations entirely overturned the con- 

 clusion which had been before generally admitted, Soem- 



* Halleu. 



t It cannot be a very satisfactory mode of proceeding, to com- 

 pare the body, of which the weight varies so considerably, accord- 

 ing to Illness, emaciation, or embonpoint, with the brain, which is 

 affected by none of these ohxumstances, and seems to remain con- 

 stantly the same. Thus in the cat, the weight of the brain, com- 

 pared to that of the body, has been stated as 1 to 156, by one ana- 

 tomist ', as 1 to 82 by another : that of the dog, as 1 to 305, 1 to 

 47, &c. The following numbers, taken principally from Haller 

 (^Element. Fhyswl. lib. x. sect. 1.) and CuviER {Lcgons d^AnaU 

 Comp. Lee. ix. art. 5.), will shew that, In the proportionate mass 

 of his brain, man is surpassed only by a few small, slender, and 

 lean animals. 



Child of 6 years, 2lb. 28^.dr. j or A- HalLer. 



Adult, V^. Hali.er. From 2lb. Sgoz, to 3lb. Sjoz. SoE^^- 

 MKRRING. 



