ON ZOOLOGV. 131 



That many animals do possess, according to 

 their several capacities, a graduated scale of rea- 

 son, every observing person, we apprehend, must 

 readily admit; and that they are endued with a 

 greater portion of that noble faculty than is gene- 

 rally allowed, our own remarks upon their habits, 

 lead us to consider as extremely probable; though 

 in this acknowledgement, I am far from attribu- 

 ting animal actions to the mere influence of their 

 reason; beiii., fully aware that an instinctive im- 

 pulse predominates in most animals, in which 

 volition has little concern. 



If I may be permitted to offer an opinion upon 

 a subject on which philosophers are by no means 

 decided; that is, to determine where instinct 

 ends and reason begins ; 1 should say that in- 

 stinct is governed by one unvarying law to 

 answer a definite end, namely, the production and 

 preservation of the animal; that it never retro- 

 grades to the right or to the left; but uniformly 

 pursues its undeviating course, until the desired 

 object be maintained. Reason, on the contrary, by 

 which, (as applicable to the brute animal) I mean 

 only perception leading to voluntary actions, is 

 open to the casualties of circumstances, which 

 may never occur to the animal, and therefore the 

 actions arising therefrom, are fluctuating and 

 precarious; but always produced from an impulse 

 originating in a particular feeling, and consequent- 

 ly directed to an object corresponding with that 



