72 MR. YOUATT S VETERINARY LECTURES. 
the cattle did not know how to avoid. Instinct is not an unerring 
guide ; it is a powerful principle, and was wisely and kindly 
given where reason is limited: it does not, however, always guide 
the animal, when placed in an unnatural situation, or shield him 
from the consequences of our absurd management. When our 
calves and lambs are taken too soon from the dam, and turned 
with little or no experience into the pasture, they eat indiscrimi¬ 
nately every herb that presents itself, and many of them are lost. 
Had they been suffered to browse a little while, or a little longer, 
with the mother, she would have taught them to distinguish the 
sweet and wholesome herbage from the deleterious and destruc¬ 
tive. This is a point of agricultural economy not sufficiently at¬ 
tended to. 
For the immediate and natural purposes of the animal, instinct 
is strong, but Nature has made no provision for our folly. Galen 
once took a kid from the womb of its mother, and carried it into 
an adjoining room. He had previously prepared three dishes, 
containing various sweetened and tempting things, and one of 
corn and one of simple milk. The little animal, after having 
licked and cleaned itself for awhile, got up and smelled at every 
dish, and began to lap the milk, and drank it up. Here instinct 
was as strong as the purposes of the creature required. Milk 
was destined to be his first food, and instinct led him imme¬ 
diately to that. But nature designed that he should be gradually 
accustomed to his after-food by the side* and under the tuition, 
of his dam. But if the farmer, from ignorance or caprice, or be¬ 
cause he thinks he can rear a few more calves, or bring his lambs 
or their mothers earlier to the market, separates the one from the 
other, and turns out his young stock to browse, inexperienced 
and untaught, why he must take the consequence of his folly and 
his avarice. This is a lesson in breeding or in grazing which we 
possibly may be enabled usefully to inculcate in our employers. 
The comparative Size of the Olfactory Nerve in different Ani¬ 
mals .—Observe, in the specimens before you, the greater size of 
the olfactory nerve in the horse, the ox, the sheep, the swine, and 
the dog, and its peculiar form, as well as size, in the bird, com¬ 
pared with that nerve in the human brain. Again, compare the 
relative size of this nerve in the different animals, accordingly as 
they need, and possess, an acute smell. See the brain of the 
horse —our stabled servant—comparatively rarely sent to select 
his own nutriment amidst the herbage of the field, but having 
the greater part of his food provided for him. Next observe the 
brain of the ox ; it is not more than half the size of that of the 
horse: he possesses not the intelligence of the horse; but not 
being so much domesticated, being oftener sent into the field to 
