( ) - 
* her Bed fome 4 or 5 foot high from the Ground, where fne 
‘ throws herfelf, and lies on her Back in expectation of the Male, 
‘ whom ihe invites by a peculiar Cry*, therefore perhaps it may 
be, that the Duggs are placed fo forward, to avoid the Prelfure. 
A third Opinion is, that at the Coitus , the female defcends into 
a Ditch, and that the Congrefs with the Male is no otherwife 
with them than with other Quadrupeds. As to the firft, 1 can 
fcarce believe it probable, becaufe there can be no fuch thing as 
a Retrocoient Animal •, for that would quite invert the order of 
Nature, and give a far different motion to the Mufcles of the 
Thighs, than they can be fuppofed to have from their Situation; 
and I am credibly inform’d by thofe, who have been at the Pains 
to obferve them, that Hares, Cats, Rabbits, &c. who are faid to 
be Retrocoient, do Copulate no other way than Dogs and other 
Quadrupeds ; and that Retrograde Pofture we fee Dogs in at that 
time, is nothing but an endeavour to get rid, when (by means 
of the fwelling of the Gians,') the Male and Female are too dole 
together, and far from a defign of penetrating further into the 
Vagina. As to the fecond Opinion, were it not for Monfieur 
Tavernier's Affertion, 1 fhould think it too unweildy an Animal, 
and of too fmall an Inclination to lye down, to acquire fuch a Po- 
fture. The third Opinion is, that the Natural Sagacity of the 
Animal difpofes the Female to go into the Ditch, and both fore 
and hind Legs feem to be fo articulated as to favour this : For 
when the Female would bring the Body low, fhe has no more to 
do, but to ftretch forward her . fore Feet, and then the Articula- 
tion of the Humerus with the Cubitus will bend backward ; and 
to bring back her hind Feet, fo as to bend the Knees forward, by 
which fhe can bring the fore part of the Body fo low, as to make 
the Nates Protuberant, and bend the hind Legs, whereby to put 
the Vagina in a convenient Pofture for Reception of the Penis, 
according to that of Ariftetle , Subfiftit Famina , Clunibufque Sub - 
miffis , infijlit pedibus ac innit it Hr \ and elfewhere, FlePlit certe fuos 
poferiores Poplites modo Hominis. Which of the two laft Opinions 
may be true, L know not, but you have the Affertion of two fa- 
mous Authors for both. 
What Time they begin to Copulate is uncertain; tho’ from How long 
their ufual term of Life, Authors feem probably to conjecture, they go vtith 
that forne begin at the fifth Year, others much later, yea, not Young. 
till the Twentieth. The time alfo of their going with Young 
is in debate ; for their innate Modeft.y keeps fuch as would 
I cbierye 
