THE MONKE Y FAMIL Y. . 1 73 



wants, amongst trees which retain their verdure the year throughout. 

 Thus we see that Eternal Wisdom has placed its creatures in situa- 

 tions adapted to their nature ; and if anything should prove deficient, 

 we may be quite sure that the deficiency has been caused by the 

 arrangements of man, or by the change of seasons, or by some 

 accidental occurrences which occasionally take place. 



I may add that, notwithstanding what some naturalists have written 

 to the contrary, every portion of an animal's body is adapted to its 

 journey through life, be that life of very short duration, as in some 

 insects, or be it prolonged to a great extent ; witness our raven, 

 whose life is said to exceed a hundred years. What could the ant- 

 bear do without its tremendous claws and cylinder-shaped snout, so 

 tough as to enable it to perforate huge nests of ants, which, in certain 

 districts of Southern America, appear more like the roofs of Chinese 

 temples than the work and habitations of insignificant little insects ? 

 Still I have heard the remark, that the long visage of this most 

 singular quadruped is out of proportion and unsightly whereas, I 

 consider it to be quite in unison with the rest of the body, and 

 admirably adapted to the support of life. 



Look, again, at the vampire ! Place it on the ground, and imme- 

 diately its extraordinary formation appears to be nearly useless to it. 

 A hook, in lieu of hands and nails, enables it to attach itself to the 

 tree in perfect ease and safety j and by other hooks, which emanate 

 from where the feet obtain in other animals, it hangs, body down- 

 wards, whilst it takes its rest; though, singular to say, the head 

 itself is always turned upwards on its reversed chest. A truly 

 astonishing position, indeed ! never noticed, I suspect, in any tribe 

 of the larger animals, saving that of the bat. The air is the only 

 region of exercise for this singular family ; and when it is at rest, 

 it is found in the hollow of a tree, or in the hole of a wall, or in the 

 thatch of a hut or cottage. It must by no means come in contact 

 with the ground it would perish there. A bat on the ground 

 would be quite as badly off as a fish out of the water, or as some 

 unfortunate man in chancery. 



The swift, too, amongst the birds, has nothing whatever to do with 

 the ground, on account of the formation of its feet and legs. As all 

 its fore toes point forwards, it would be very difficult, nay, almost im- 



