584 THE PHILOSOPHY 



they fall a prey to his rapacity. In a word, when his hunger 

 is extreme, he lofes all idea of fear, attacks women and chil- 

 dren, and fometimes men ; at lafl he becomes perfe6lly furi- 

 ous by excellive exertions, and generally falls a facriHce to 

 pure rage and diftracSlion. When feveral wolves appear to- 

 gether, it is not an aflbciation of peace, but of war. It is at- 

 tended with tumult and dreadful growlings,. and indicates an 

 attack upon fome of the larger animals, as a ftag, an ox, or 

 a formidable maftive. This depredatory expedition is no 

 fooner ended than they feparate, and every individual re- 

 turns in filence to his folitude. Wolves are fond of human 



^flefh. They have been known to follow armies, to come in 

 troops to the field of battle, where bodies are carelefsly inter- 

 red, to tear them up, and to devour them with an infatiable 

 avidity : And, when once accuflomed to human flefli, thefe 

 wolves ever after attack men, prefer the fliepherd to the. 

 flock, devour women, and carry oft children. Whole coun- 

 tries are fometimes obliged to arm, in order to deflroy the 

 wolves. It is a fortunate circumftance that thefe dangerous 

 and deftrudtive animals have been long totally extirpated 

 from Great Britain and her iflands. 



Neither are \S\q feathered tribes exempted from the general 

 law of devaftation. But the number of birds of prey, pro- 

 perly fo called, is much lefs in proportion than that of carni- 

 vorous quadrupeds. Birds of prey are likewife weaker ; and, 

 of courfe, the deftruftion of animal life they occafion is much 

 more limited than the immenfe devaftations daily commit- 

 ted by rapacious quadrupeds. But, as if tyranny never loft 

 fight of its rights, great numbers of birds make prodigious 



, depredations upon the inhabitants of the waters. A vaft 

 tribe of birds frequent the waters, and live folely upon fifhes. 

 In a certain fenfe, every fpecies of bird may be faid to be a 

 bird of prey ; for almoft the whole of them devour flies, 

 worms, and other infe<^s, either for food to themfelves oi: 



