ANIMALS. 331 



It is from hence, therefore, that the body diminislies in stature. 

 For this moisture being drained away from between the nume- 

 rous joints of the back-bone, they lie closer upon each other ; 

 and their whole length is thus very sensibly diminished ; but 

 sleep, by restoring the fluid again, swells the spaces between the 

 joints, and the whole is extended to its former dimensions 



" As the human body is thus often found to differ from itsel f 

 in size, so it is found to differ in its weight also ; and the same 

 person, without any apparent cause, is found to be heavier at one 

 time than another. If, after having eaten a hearty dinner, or 

 having drank hard, the person should find himself thus heavier, 

 it would appear no way extraordinary ; but the fact is, the body 

 is very often found heavier some hours after eating a hearty meal 

 tlmn immediately succeeding it. If, for instance, a person, fa- 

 tigued by a day's hard labour, should eat a plentiful supper, and 

 then get himself weighed upon going to bed; after sleeping 

 soundly, if he is again weighed, lie will find himself considerably 

 heavier than before ; and this difference is often found to amount 

 to a pound, or sometimes to a pound and a half. From whence 

 this adventitious weight is derived is not easy to conceive; the 

 body, during the whole night, appears rather plentifully perspir- 

 ing than imbibing any fluid, rather losing than gaining moisture : 

 however, we have no reason to doubt, but that either by the 

 lungs, or perhaps by a peculiar set of pores, it is all this time 

 inhaling a quantity of fluid, which thus increases the weight of 

 the whole body, upon being weighed the next morning.'" 



Although the human body is externally more delicate than any 

 of the quadruped kind, it is, notwithstanding, extremely muscu- 

 '.ar; and, perhaps, for its size, stronger than that of any other 

 animal. If we should offer to comjjare the strength of the lion 

 with that of man, we should consider that the claws of this ani- 

 mal give us a false idea of its power •, we ascribe to its force 

 what is only the effect of its arms. Those which man has re- 

 ceived from Nature are not offensive , happy had art never fur- 

 nished him with any more terrible than those which arm the 

 l)!iws of the lion. 



Eut there is another maimer- of comparhig the strength of 



1 From tliis experimpnt also, the learned may ijathpr upon uliat a w-aU 

 foiiiuiatiou the whole doolrine of Sanctoriaii perspiration is Imilt : but thil 

 di-ijuisition more properly heloiiKS lo ini'diciiic than natural history. 



vi Mr Bullon calls it a belter lUiUDier ; but this is not the case. 



