353 ON THE 



pressions from external agents, and by the aid 

 of reflection, to act accordingly. Hence educa- 

 tion and example, with reflecting powers, are 

 essential to the developement of the one qua- 

 lity, natural propensities are sufficient to give 

 effect to the other; and hence \ve find in the 

 Brute Animal, instinct is throughout life the pre- 

 dominant impulse, while in the human sub- 

 ject, early instincts gradually give way to the 

 progressive advancement of the reasoning facul- 

 ties. 



We come now to the history of an animal, and 

 which, by the permission of a fiiend, is pre- 

 sented to you for observation, whose peculiarity 

 of conformation led many naturalists in the first 

 instance to suspect, that the early specimens 

 sent home, were impositions; but the animal 

 since has been sufficiently identified, to remove 

 all doubts upon the subject. 



It was at first denominated by Dr. Shaw the 

 Platypus, or Duck's Bill Animal; but other 

 naturalists have very generally admitted the ap- 

 pellation given to it by Blumenbach, who has de- 

 nominated it Ornithorynchus Paradoxus, and has 

 placed it in his order of Palmata, or web-Jboted; 

 \vhile Cuvier has made it to belong to his Eden- 

 tata, or animals that have few, or no teeth. 



This extraordinary Animal, which is only to be 

 found in the rivers and lakes of New South Wales, 



