THE BUFFALO, &c. 161 



is obliged to carefs, in order to obtain a prefe- 

 rence. Thefe melancholy and taftelefs amours 

 muft give rife to productions equally difmal and 

 infipid ; beings who never have that courage, 

 fpirit, and ftrength, which Nature can only be- 

 flow on each fpecies, by leaving all the indivir 

 duals in full pofTeiiion of their powers, and, a- 

 bove all, of the liberty of choice in the inter- 

 mixture of the fexes. We learn from the ex=. 

 ample of horfes, that crofTed races are always the 

 moft beautiful. We ought not, therefore, to 

 confine our female cattle to a fingle male of 

 their own country, who already has too much 

 refemblance to his mother, and who, confe- 

 quently, inftead of improving, continues to de- 

 gradethe fpecies. Man, in this article, prefers 

 his convenience to every other advantage. We 

 never' think of improving or of embellishing 

 Nature ; but we fubmit to her operations, thai 

 we may enjoy her in a more arbitrary manner. 

 The males conftitute the glory of each fpecies. 

 They have more courage, fire, and obftinacy. A 

 great number of males in our flocks would ren- 

 der them lefs tradable, and more difficult to ma- 

 nage. In thole Haves of the moft abject kind, 

 it is even necelTary to deprefs every head that 

 offers to exalt itfelf. 



To thefe caufes of degeneration in domefric 

 animals, we muft (till add another, which alone 

 has produced more changes than all the com- 

 bined force of the others ; I mean, the conftant 



Vol. VI, L tranfportatioa 



