Part I. in /^^ C r e at i o n. 155 



fuppofe with three Feet, yet nothing fo conve- 

 niently or fteddily to walk or run, or indeed to 

 ftand ; fo that we fee Nature hath made choice 

 of what is moft fit, proper, and ufeful : They 

 have alfo not only an even Number of Feet, an- 

 fwering by Pairs one to another, which is as well 

 decent as convenient, but thofe too of an equal 

 Length, I mean, the feveral Pairs ; whereas were 

 thofe on one fide longer than they on the other, 

 ?t would have caus'd an inconvenient halting or 

 limping in their going. 



I iliall mention but one more Obfervation of 

 Ariftotle^ that is, Xitrwlv fjJ^vov bcS^V, there is no 

 Creature only volatile, or no flying Animal, but 

 hath Feet as well as Wings, a Power of walking 

 or creeping upon the Earth, becaufe there is no 

 Food, or at leaft not fufficient Food for them to 

 be had always in the Air ; or if in hot Countries 

 we may fuppofe there is, the Air being never 

 without Store of Infefts flying about in it, yet 

 could fuch Birds take no Reft, for having no 

 Feet they could not pearch upon Trees 5 and if 

 they fl^ould alight upon the Ground, they could 

 by no means raife themfelves any more, as w^e 

 fee thofe Birds which have but fhort Feet, as the 

 S^wift and Martinet ^ with difficulty do ; befides, 

 they would want means of breeding, having no 

 where to lay their Eggs, to fit, hatch, or brood 

 their Young. As for the Story of the Manucodi^ 

 ata^ or Bird of Paradijiy which in the former 

 Age's was generally receiv'd and accepted for 

 true, even by the Learned, it is now difcover'd 



to 



