57 



their original stock, is doubtless true ; and the reason 

 is very obvious. In a thinly peopled country, the spon- 

 taneous productions of the forests and waste fields are 

 sufficient to support indifferently the domestic animals 

 of the farmer, with a very little aid from him in the se- 

 verest and scarcest season. He therefore finds it more 

 convenient to receive them from the hand of nature in 

 that indifferent state, than to keep up their size by a 

 care and nourishment which would cost him much la- 

 bour. If, on this low fare, these animals dwindle, it is 

 no more than they do in those parts of Europe where 

 the poverty of the soil, or poverty of the owner, redu- 

 ces them to the same scanty subsistence. It is the uni- 

 form effect of one and the same cause, whether acting 

 on this or that side of the globe. It would be erring, 

 therefore against that rule of philosophy, which teach- 

 es us to ascribe like effects to like causes, should we 

 impute this diminution of size in America to any imbe- 

 cility or want of unifortnity in the operations of nature. 

 It may be affirmed with truth, thar, in those countries 

 and with thoje individuaLs of America, where necessity 

 or curiosity has produced equal attention as in Europe 

 to the nourishment of animals, the horses, cattle, sheep, 

 and hogs of the one continent are as large as those of 

 the other. There are particular instances, well attest- 

 ed, where individuals of this country have imported 

 good breeders from England, and have improved their 

 size by care in the course of some years. To make a 

 fair comi)arison between the two countries, it will not 

 answer to bring together animals of what might be 

 deemed the middle or ordinary size of their species ; 

 because an error in judging of that middle or ordinary 

 size would vary the result of the comfjarison. Thus 

 Mons. D'Aubenton* considers a horse of 4 feet 5 inches 

 high and 4001b. weight French, equal to 4 feet 8.6' inches 

 and 4361b English, as a middle sized horse. Such a 

 one is deemed a small horse in America. The ex- 

 tremes must therefore be resorted to. The same ana- 



* VII. 432. 



