THEORY OF THE EARTH 59 



large land to be discovered, unless it may be si- 

 tuated towards the South Pole, where the exis- 

 tence of life would necessarily be precluded by the 

 accumulation of ice. 



Hence, it is only from the interior of the large 

 divisions of the world, that we can have any hope 

 of still procuring quadrupeds hitherto unknown. 

 But a little reflection will be sufficient to con- 

 vince us, that our expectations from this source 

 have as little foundation as from that of the is- 

 lands. 



Doubtless, the European traveller cannot easi- 

 ly traverse vast extents of countries, which are 

 either destitute of inhabitants, or are peopled only 

 with ferocious tribes ; and this is more especially 

 true with regard to Africa. But there is nothing 

 to prevent the animals themselves from roaming 

 over these countries in all directions, and pene- 

 trating to the coasts. Even when there may be 

 great chains of mountains between the coasts and 

 the deserts of the interior, they must always be 

 broken in some places to allow the rivers to pass 

 through ; and, in these burning deserts, the qua- 

 drupeds naturally follow the banks of rivers. 

 The inhabitants of the coasts also ascend these 

 rivers, and soon become acquainted with all the 

 remarkable species which exist even to their 

 sources, either from personal observation, or by 

 means of intercourse with the inhabitants of 



