280 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



the Ai to a greater distance from each other than many 

 species are whose internal forms differ very considerably ; 

 but it is certainly the external conformation that properly 

 constitutes the animal; external forms are of little im- 

 portance in themselves ; and, in truth, must be considered 

 to bear the relation of effect to cause, when compared 

 with internal. The exterior, as Buffon well remarks, may 

 be considered as nothing but surface or drapery ; and it 

 often happens that a very different drapery will cover forms 

 whose interior resemblance is perfect ; but, on the other 

 hand, the least difference of internal structure will pro- 

 duce the most marked difference in the external form, and 

 change not unfrequently altogether the habits, faculties, 

 and attributes of the whole animal ; but this is a subject 

 well worthy in itself of a separate dissertation, and would 

 require, to be properly unfolded, a consecutive examina- 

 tion of all the different parts of organized beings. 



To return to the Unau and AY ; it is impossible, in a 

 number of instances in the animal world, to fathom the 

 design of nature, in the peculiar conformations which she 

 has produced, or to assign any cause for the apparent im- 

 perfection and imbecility of some of her works; but it 

 would be the height of presumption, in consequence of our 

 own ignorance, to question the existence of any design or 

 any cause. From a superficial consideration of the struc- 

 ture of these animals, one might be apt to conclude that 

 their lives must be perfectly miserable ; but such a con- 

 clusion would be equally rash and remote from truth. We 

 are apt to suppose beings to be miserable themselves, be- 

 cause we should be miserable if we exchanged situations 

 with them ; but herein we deceive ourselves. " To be weak 

 is miserable," was a maxim put by Milton into the mouth 

 of a being whose authority is not likely to pass for gospel ; 

 and, indeed, it is not altogether unworthy of the grand 

 deceiver. The fact is, that weakness does by no means 



