62 THE PHILOSOPHY 



nitude, ftrength, fwiftnefs, and dexterity in particular movements. 

 Their fenfes are often more acute ; they feize their prey, or procure 

 herbage, fruits, and feeds of trees, with more facility than man, 

 when limited to the powers of his animal nature. Hence the great 

 fource of man's fuperiority over the brute creation muft be derived 

 from his mental faculties alone. Brutes enjoy the fame inftinds, 

 the fame appetites, and the fame propenfities, as appear in the con- 

 ftitutlon of the human mind. But the inftinds of brutes, though 

 they are exerted with great certainty and precifion, are much cir- 

 cumfcribed with regard to extenfion and improvement. Like man, 

 they derive advantages from experience. But the conclufions they 

 draw from this fource are always feeble and extremely limited. 

 Neither do they poflefs the ineftimable faculty of tranfmitting the 

 knowledge acquired by individuals from generation to generation. 

 By means of their fenfes, they learn to diftinguifh their enemies, or 

 hurtful objeds, at a diftance ; and they know how to avoid them. 

 Experience teaches them to difcriminate objeds of pleafure from 

 thofe of pain ; and they ad according to the feelings excited by 

 thefe objedls. Some animals can even accommodate their inftinds 

 to particular circumftances and fituations. The feelings of brutes 

 are often more exquifite than ours. They have fenfations ; but 

 their faculty of comparing them, or of forming ideas, is much cir- 

 cumfcribed. A dog or a monkey can imitate fome human adions, 

 and are capable of receiving a certain degree of inftrudion. But 

 their progrefs foon ftops : Nature has fixed the boundaries of men- 

 tal as well as of corporeal powers ; and ihefe boundaries are as va- 

 rious as the number of diftind fpecies. Our wonder is equally ex- 

 cited by the fagacity of fome animals, and by the ftupidity of others. 

 This gradation of mental faculties originates from the number or 

 paucity of inftinds beftowed on particular fpecies, joined to the 

 greater or fmaller power of extending or modifying thefe inftinds 

 by experience and obfervation. Man is endowed with a greater 

 I , number 



