

EXTERNAL FORM. XCV11 



or bundles of fibres, which, again, being united, form larger 

 fasciculi. These fibres and fasciculi are separated by a fine 

 intervening tissue of cells, in which is secreted the oily sub- 

 stance, fat. This latter substance is intermingled with the 

 muscular or fleshy tissue, and is found in large quantity be- 

 neath the skin and in the muscular tissue connected with it, 

 and surrounds, or is intermingled with, the various viscera 

 within the body, as the intestines, the heart, the kidneys, and 

 other organs. It affords nourishment to the system, is ex- 

 hausted when the animal is deprived of food, and increases 

 largely in quantity when abundant sustenance is supplied. 



The muscular tissue or flesh grows with the animal, and 

 is essential to its existence and power of motion. When it 

 arrives at its full growth, little further addition can be made 

 to it by means of food. But it is otherwise with the fatty 

 matter which surrounds and is intermingled with its sub- 

 stance. When the food which the animal assimilates by the 

 action of its organs is no longer needed to form muscle and 

 bone, it produces fat ; the muscles become enlarged, and the 

 integuments extended, and the accumulation of fat takes place 

 in great quantity within the trunk. By merely feeding an ani- 

 mal, we may not have the power of increasing its muscular 

 substance, but we have a great power over the increase of the 

 fatty matter, which, along with the fleshy fibre, forms food. 



Now, a certain set of characters indicates in all the ani- 

 mals enumerated the property of arriving speedily at ma- 

 turity of bone and muscle, and of readily secreting fat. As 

 the property of quickly assimilating nourishment depends on 

 the action of the digestive and respiratory organs, so it has 

 been inferred that a large chest for containing the organs of 

 respiration, and a capacious trunk for containing the stomach 

 and other viscera employed in digestion, are connected with 

 the property of easy digestion and assimilation. But what- 

 ever be the causes assigned, experience shews that, in every 

 case of a healthy animal, the property of fattening quickly 

 is combined with a capacious body. Further, as an indica- 

 tion of the property of secreting fat, we find an absence of 



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