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HUTTONIAN THEORY. 



469 



tin6l races have been remarkable for their fize : 

 fome of the ancient elephants appear to have 

 been three times as large as any of the prefent *. 

 412. The inhabitants of the globe, then, like all 

 the other parts of it, are fubjed to change : It is 

 not only the individual that perillies, but whole 

 fpecies,a.nd even perhaps^*?//^^^?, are extinguiflied. 

 It is not unnatural to confider fonie part of this 

 change as the operation of man. The extenfion 

 of his power would necelfarily fubvert the balance 

 that had before been eftablilhed between the in- 

 habitants of the earth, and the means of their fub- 

 iiftence. Some of the larger and fiercer animals 

 might indeed difpute with him, for a long time, 

 the empire of the globe • and it may have requi- 

 red the arm of a Hercules to fubdue the monfters 

 which lurked in the caves of Bayreuth, or roan:ked 



the banks of the Oh 



But thefe, with oth 



of the fame charader, were at length extermina 

 ted : the more innocent fpecies fled to a diftanci 



from 

 moft i 



fcanty 



man 



and being forced 



acceflible parts, where th 



food 



th 



was 



d their migration checked, they may 

 have degenerated from the fize and ftrength of 



)rs, and fome fpecies may have been 



II 



6 



(hed 



But befides this, a change in the animal king 

 dom feems to be a part of the order of nature 



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and 



* 



er 



Nov. AdaPetrop. tom.ii. (1784) p. 257. 



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