340 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



the philosopher, by the difficulty of fixing a limit between 

 the actions which result from a similarity of their organs 

 with ours, and such as emanate with ourselves, from a su- 

 perior principle of intelligence. 



" They do not, however, less embarrass the naturalist, 

 by the difficulty of distinguishing them accurately from 

 each other, and of grouping their different species, accord- 

 ing to their genuine and natural relations. 



" The monkeys, as well as the parrots and other imita- 

 tors of mankind, people the forests of the torrid zone in 

 either hemisphere. The first animate the woods by their 

 gambols, and by their petulant and ludicrous motions, 

 while the second cause them to resound with their shrill, 

 confused, and piercing cries. Both are alike astonishing 

 by the variety of their species, and the number of indivi- 

 duals belonging to each. 



" The abundance, and the nutritious quality of the fruits 

 from which they derive subsistence, must of necessity pro- 

 duce considerable fecundity, and cause a rapid reproduction 

 of these animals: and as the monkeys, as well as the par- 

 rots, have a capacity of escaping from the majority of savage 

 beasts, if not by flying, at least by climbing the trees, their 

 usual habitation, and by jumping with incredible agility 

 from branch to branch, and from tree to tree ; it follows 

 that they have fewer causes of destruction to fear than the 

 rest of the feebler quadrupeds. From these two causes 

 proceeds the wonderful multiplication of their various spe- 

 cies. 



" It is a general law of nature, that the number of species 

 in every genus is pretty nearly in an exact ratio with the 

 degree of fecundity peculiar to each species. This is the 

 case, whether the subdivisions which we term species are 

 only various degenerations from one original stock, multi- 

 plied in proportion to the greater or less frequency of par- 

 turition, or whether many among them be sprung from 



