OF MULES. ^^ 



Only kindred In the fourth degree ; and, of 

 couife, will produce more difficultly between 

 themfelves, than the jack-afs and mare, who are 

 kindred Ipecies in the fecond degree. For the 

 fame reafon, the male and female mules will not 

 produce fo eafily between themfelves, as with 

 the mare or afs ; becaufe the kindred of the 

 latter in fpecies is only in the third degree, while 

 that of the former is in the fourth degree. The 

 infecundity, which appears in the fecond degree, 

 fhould be more confpicuous in the third, and per- 

 haps abfolute in the fourth. 



In general, kindred of fpecies is one of thofe 

 myfteries of Nature, which man can never un- 

 ravel, without a long continued and difficult fe- 

 lies of experiments. How can we otherwife 

 learn, than by the union of different fpecies of 

 animals many thoufand times repeated, the de- 

 gree of their kindred ? Is the afs more allied to 

 the horfe than the zebra ? Does the wolf ap- 

 proach nearer to the dog than the fox or jackal ? 

 At what diftance from man fhall we place the 

 large apes, who refemble him fo perfedlly in 

 conformation of body ? Are all the fpecies of ani- 

 mals the fame now that they were originally ? 

 Has not their number augmented, inftead of be- 

 ing diminifhed ? Have not the feeble fpecies 

 been deftroyed by the ftronger, or by the tyran- 

 ny of man, the number of whom has becom.e a 

 thoufand times greater than that of any other 

 large animal ? What relation can be eftabliflied 

 Vol. VIII. C between 



