NATURAL THEOLOGY. 183 



stincts of animals as directly referrible to an immedi- 

 ate Providence ? 



A. First, the very perfection of instinct shews 

 that the animal does not act from any sagacity and 

 reason of its own. If instinct is not to be ascribed 

 to a peculiar providential guidance ; if it is not a 

 blind propensity in regard to the animal ; a propensi- 

 ty prior to experience and independent of instruction ; 

 the bee has obtained a deeper insight into the princi- 

 ples of mathematics, than most of our own species. 

 The early period at which animals discover their 

 instinct, not only evinces the care and goodness of 

 Providence, but that it is wholly an operation of 

 Providence. The chicken which is hatched in an 

 oven, and can have enjoyed no opportunity of learning, 

 is not ignorant how to provide for itself like others of 

 its kind. " When caterpillars are shaken from a tree 

 in every direction, all of them immediately crawl 

 toward the trunk and climb up, though they have 

 never formerly been upon the ground." They lose 

 no time in reasoning what they shall do. 



B. But still, do not dumb creatures appear to 

 reflect and reason 1 I think it is Huber who mentions 

 that when bees discover that some new insect has been 

 depradating in their hives, they will soon contrive an 

 impediment to prevent it from entering a second time 

 If it is a broad bodied insect, they will narrow the 

 door. If a long and slender one, they will put up an 

 extra partition so very near the entrance, as not to 

 permit a body of that length to conform itself to the 

 passage. It is commonly said, I know not with what 



