884 NATURAL THEOLOGY. 



I. In the swan, the web-foot, the spoon-bill, the 

 long neck, the thick down, the graminivorous sto- 

 mach, bear all a relation to one another, inasmuch 

 as they all concur in one design, that of supplying 

 the occasions of an aquatic fowl floating upon the 

 surface of shallow pools of water, and seeking its 

 food at the bottom. Begin with anyone of these 

 particularities of structure, and observe how the 

 rest follow it. The web-foot qualifies the bird 

 for swimming ; the spoon-bill enables it to graze. 

 But how is an animal floating upon the surface of 

 pools of water to graze at the bottom, except by 

 the mediation of a long neck? A long neck ac- 

 cordingly is given to it. Again, a warm-blooded 

 animal which was to pass its life upon water, re- 

 quired a defence against the coldness of that ele- 

 ment. Such a defence is furnislied to the swan in 

 the muft^ in which its body is wrapped. But all 

 this outward apparatus w^ould have been in vain, 

 if the intestinal system had not been suited to the 

 digestion of vegetable substances : I say suited to 

 the digestion of vegetable substances ; for it is v/eli 

 known that there are two intestinal systems found 

 in birds : one with a membranous stomach and a 

 gastric juice, capable of dissolving animal sub- 

 stances alone — the other with a crop and gizzard 

 calculated for the moistening, bruising, and after- 

 wards digesting, of vegetable aliment. 



Or set oflf with any other distinctive part in the 

 body of the swan; for instance, with the long 

 neck. The long neck, without the web-foot, 



