8 



A NEW HISTORY OF 



Nevertheless, these variations from the general 

 form, are so trivial and unimportant that they are 

 hardly worth notice ; and they affect not materially, 

 the ordinary appearance of the limb : so that, were 

 the four hands of a monkey, (no matter from what 

 part of our globe) cut off and presented for inspec- 

 tion, the inspecting naturalist, would know at the 

 first glance, that they have belonged to a monkey, 

 and to a monkey alone. 



In other animals a man may be deceived. Thus, 

 it would require a keen and knowing eye, to 

 distinguish the feet of some wolves, from those 

 of some dogs ; and the feet of jackals, may, 

 occasionally be confounded with the feet of foxes. 

 But, there is no mistaking what is usually termed, 

 the hands or the feet of a monkey. There is 

 nothing like them, in any other animals, throughout 

 the whole range of animated nature. From the 

 huge ape of Borneo in the East, down to the 

 minute Sacawinki of Guiana in the West, we may 

 be quite assured that they can be recognized most 

 easily, on the very first inspection. 



Let the enterprising young naturalist pause a 

 little here, and bring to his mind, the singular 

 formation of a monkey. Omnipotence has given 

 various shapes of feet to various animals : and 

 these feet support the respective animals on the 



