248 THE PHILOSOPHY 



to the difgrace of humanity, are fed and trained with the 

 moft fcriipulous attention. For what purpofe ? For the 

 cruel amufement and fortuitous emolument of gamblers. 



That there are natural hermaphrodites, I have formerly 

 mentioned. But, in man, dogs, cats, unnatural hermaphro- 

 dites, if they ever exift, are fo rare, that the celebrated anat- 

 omift, Mr. Hunter, declares he never favv a fingle example. 

 But, in the horfe, the afs, black-cattle, and (heep, he has 

 feen many hermaphrodites. It is faid to be a known 

 fadV, that, when a cow brings forth two calves, one of them 

 a male, and the other a female, the female is incapable of 

 propagation, but that the male is a perfeft animal. In Eng- 

 land, a cow-calf brought forth with a bull-calf is denominat- 

 ed a free martin^ and is as well known among farmers as 

 either cow or bull. Mr. Hunter remarks, that a cow-calf^, 

 brought forth in the fituation above mentioned, may be eith- 

 er a free martin or a perfect female. ' For,' he remarks, 



* I have reafon to believe, that, in black cattle, fuch a devia- 



< tion may be produced without the circumftance of twins ; 



< and, even when there are twins, the one a male, the other 



* a female, they may both have the organs of generation 



< perfectly formed*.' What is called a free mariuiy or im- 

 perfect hermaphrodite, as far as obfervation has hitherto 

 extended, is confined to black-cattle. The free martin 

 has all the external chara£leri flics of a female calf. When 

 animals of this dcfcriptlon are preferved by farmers, it is not 

 for the purpofe of propagation, but for yoking with the 

 oxen, or fattening for the table. They neither breed, nor, 

 what is curious, do they difcover the fmallefl inclination for 

 the male, nor does the bull pay the leaft attention to them. 



The free martin, in figure, refembles the ox, or fpayed 

 heifer. It is confiderably larger than the bull or cow, and 

 its horns are fimilar to thofe of the ox. « The belly of the 

 *■ Hunter's Obfervations on the Animal Oeconomy, page 49. 



