MAMMIFEROUS ANIMALS. 351 



with man ; yet nature has so clearly drawn the 

 line of distinction, as at once to break in upon the 

 association ; since by confining" all improvement 

 of intellect in such animals to their own common 

 wants, and to their general usefulness ; and by con- 

 ferring on the mind of man an unbounded capabi- 

 lity of cultivation ; she has rendered all near ap- 

 proximation of the brute to the human species, 

 morally impossible ; and hence that pre-eminence 

 which uniformly has distinguished Man from 

 every other part of the creation. 



These reflections would have led us, had our 

 time permitted, to have entered into a comparative 

 view of instinct and reason as applicable to the 

 brute species ; a most highly interesting subject, 

 and affording a noble scope for the investigation of 

 the philosopher. We can now only briefly observe, 

 that we consider instinct to be that inherent pro- 

 pensity to various actions, which are indispensible 

 for the preservation of the animal and its offspring 

 under all the ordinary contingencies of their exis- 

 tence, and therefore however differing in each 

 individual, it is uniform in its operation and effects, 

 and can never be altered. 



Reason, on the contrary, is limited to the pro- 

 duction of those actions that are excited by ac- 

 cidental circumstances, and which are not neces- 

 sarily connected with the natural habits and 

 wants of the animal. It therefore depends upon 

 the capability of each animal to receive new im- 



