PART IV. AGRICULTURE. 193 



curing their diseases. It is a branch of natural history by no 

 means scientifically understood, especially by those practical 

 men who most stand in need of it. A good deal may be learned 

 with respect to the useful classes of inferior animals, by com- 

 paring what has been written on the subject, with the opinions 

 and practices of butchers, graziers, farriers, &c. But in regard 

 to destroying ravenous birds, and the various classes of perni- 

 cious insects and worms, (the bee and a few others excepted,) 

 we have yet much to learn. Unless nature should effect this 

 herself, by means of other animals, as she often does, we can 

 rarely do any thing that will prove directly destructive, or per- 

 manently useful in such cases. The science of entomology 

 affords a striking lesson to the moralist, and a wide field of ex- 

 periment and enquiry to the philosopher. 



2dly, The Classification and Nomenclature of Animals. — The 

 classification most generally adopted is that of Linnaeus, by which 

 the animal kingdom is divided into six classes, and these into 

 orders, genera, species, &c. as in botany. The classification 

 and nomenclature adopted by naturalists in treating of animals 

 are of less importance to the husbandman than those of bo- 

 tany, as in general the animals with which he is concerned are 

 comparatively few, and those sufficiently well known in all ci- 

 vilized countries. 



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