28:6 THE PHILOSOPHY 



male geftation, are fo contrived by Nature, that the offspring 

 when brought forth, are amply fupplied with the particular 

 fpecies of food upon which they principally live. Though 

 the times of geftation vary confiderably among fuch quadru- 

 peds as feed upon grafs, the refpedlive females uniformly 

 bring forth early in fummer, when the grafs is tender and 

 luxuriant. The mare comes in feafon in fummer, carries 

 eleven months, and is delivered in the beginning of May. 

 Sheep and goats come in feafon in the end of October or be- 

 ginning of November. They carry five months, and pro- 

 duce when the grafs begins to fpring. It is worthy of ob- 

 fervation, that, though the times of geftation in the fame 

 fpecies, and in all latitudes, never alter, yet the feafons of 

 love, and times of delivery, vary with the climate. In Italy, 

 fheep come in fealbn in the months of June or July. The 

 females, as ufual, carry five months, and bring forth in No- 

 vember or December, the very period when grafs, in that 

 climate, is in its beft ftate for pa-fture ; for, in April, it is 

 burnt up, and fheep have nothing to browfe upon but fhrubs. 

 The rutting feafon of the ftag is in the end of September 

 and beginning of 0£tober, and the female brings forth in 

 May or the beginning of June. Thefe animals inhabit the 

 higheft mountains of Scotland, where the grafs, of courle, 

 does not begin to fpring fo early as in the lower parts of 

 that country. Beavers come in leafon about the end of au- 

 tumn, and bring forth in January, when their ftore-houfes 

 are full of provilions. The young of pairing birds are pro- 

 duced in the fpring, when the weather begins to be comfort- 

 ably warm, and their natural food abounds. In a word, the 

 bringing forth, or hatching, of all animals, not excluding 

 the infe(St tribes, uniformly takes place at thole feafons of the 

 year when the nature of the weather, and the food peculiar 

 to the fpecies, are beft adapted to the conftitution of their 

 offspring. Caterpillars of every kind are never hatched till 



