elucidated; but much remains to be added to this laft fubject.

The third chapter relates to refpiration in different animals. On this subject, Mr. Smellie is fufficiently accurate and fall. He feels a difficulty however in explaining how a toad can exist alive and healthy in the heart of an old elm, or in a block of marble. We fufpect, for it is long fince we read the differtations quoted, but we have reafon to believe the two little words alive' and 'healthy' are added. In one, if not in both cafes, the first fufpicion of any thing uncommon arose from seeing blood on the faw, which was di viding the maffes. The animal was afterwards found cut in two, and the blood was florid. If we are correct, it only remains to say, how the toad could be preferved from change, and this is not difficult, when we confider that air is neceffary to animal putrefaction and to evaporation. He might have lain torpid in an accidental wound of the bark of the tree, or been entangled in the particles of the depofiting lime-ftone, till bis efcape by the growth of one or the increase of the other was impoffible.

The motion of animals is explained in the fourth chap-. ter, and the fifth relates to inftincts; but when we praise this chapter, it is for the collection of facts only. The little that Our author says, in the explanation, is too vague and indecifive to allow us any room for observation. Inftinct, Mr. Smellie obferves, is that original quality of mind which produces particular feelings or actions, when the proper objects are prefented to it.' The structure of the bodies is adapted to these powers of the mind, for we never see a mature animal attempting any thing, which he has not organs to perform. Thefe words to us prefent no particular idea, and he had better have faid only, as in the following page, that inftincts are internal fenfes. This explanation would not indeed have been fatisfactory, but as it had no appearance of pomp and parade, it would have paffed unobferved.

What is faid on the fenfes is fufficiently fatisfactory, and our author, refting on Dr. Reid's obfervation, that without a natural, there could have been no artificial language, adds fome curious remarks which we fhall tranfcribe.

I can perceive only one plaufible objection to this reafon. ing. If, it may be faid, man were endowed with a natural language, this language must be univerfal; from what fource, then, can the great diverfity of languages in different nations, - and tribes of the human race, be derived? The folution of this question depends not upon metaphyfical arguments, but

0 2

upon

upon fact and experience. I have had confiderable opportunities of obferving the behaviour of children. Infants, when very young, have nearly the fame modes of expreffing their pleafures and pains, their defires and averfions. These they communicate by voice, gesture, and feature; and every infant, whatever be the country, climate, or language, uniformly expreffes its feelings almoft in the fame manner. But, when they arrive at nine or twelve months of age, a different fcene is exhibited. They then, befides the general expreffions of feeling and defire, attempt to give names to particular objects. Here artifice begins. In thefe attempts, previous to the capacity of imitating articulate founds, every individual infant utters different founds, or rather gives different names, to fignify the fame objects of its defire or averfion. Befide this natural attempt towards a nomenclature, infants, during the period above mentioned, (for the time varies according to the health and vivacity of the child), frequently make continued cracious. Thefe orations confit both of articulate and inarticulate founds, of which no man can give an idea in writing. But most men, and every woman who has nursed children, will perfectly understand what I cannot exprefs. From the fact, that children actually utter different founds, or give different names to denote the fame objects, I imagine, arifes all that diversity of languages, which, by exhausting time and attention, retard the progrefs and improvement both of art and fcience. If any number of children, or of folitary favages fhould chance to affociate, the names of objects would foon be fettled by imitation and confent. By obfervation and experience the number of names would be augmented, as well as the qualities or attributes of the objects themselves; and, in the progrefs of time, a new and artificial language would be gradually formed. While this operation is going on in one corner of a country, twenty fimilar affociations and compacts may be forming, or already formed, in different nations, or in - different districts of the fame nation, all of which would give birth to feparate artificial languages."

In other palages, our author feems to have attended very minutely to children, and his chapter on infancy contains many valuable and ingenious obfervations. The hypothefis of Bonnet, which fuppofes different generations included in the refpective mothers, meets with little quarter. It is,' he fays, not only abfurd, but exceeds all the powers of the human imagination to conceive,' yet our author brings fome facts, which he admits, equally beyond the powers of the imagination, and when we once proceed beyond that point, ten times, and ten millions of times makes no difference. Bonnet is treated with too little refpect by our author, who in natural knowledge ranks as far below him as the germ of

the

the tenth generation in a microfcopic animal, compared in bulk with its mother. The objects are foon too minute for the most lively imagination to conceive, but the whole system is fupported by the general tenor of nature in all her operafions. If the future moth lies concealed under the two first rings of the caterpillar; if one feed contains the miniature of the future plant, each may as well conceal every future generation it will be denied only by thofe, whole measure of belief is bounded by the fmalleft angle, under which a body. is perceptible to the eye. The rest of the chapter on the growth and food of animals, is more accurate; and our au thor, in this place, gives a more correct view of Spalanzani's and Dr. Steeven's experiments. The chapter on the fexes of animals and vegetables, we have already glanced at, fe far as refpects the latter, and on the former fubje&t we find little room for praise or blame.

Some remarks on puberty, on love, and on the tranfformation of animals, follow, and our author details the different facts relating to each fubject with accuracy and propriety. On these, and on the habitations of animals, in the next chapter, many very curious obfervations and defcrip. tions, collected from obfervers of the moft refpectable characters, occur.

The hoftilities of animals give our author room for introducing some interefting remarks, which greatly illuftrate the nature of animals, and the wife conduct of a fuperintending Providence. We fufpect, however, that the picture of the leopard is a little overcharged: his ferocity and greediness of blood feem to be exaggerated. The concluding obfervations are no lefs juft than elegantly expreffed, Thefe, as more particularly Mr. Smellie's own, we fhall, in part, tranfcribe.

Nature, it must be confeffed, feems almost indifferent to individuals; who perish every moment in millions, without any apparent compunction. But with regard to fpecies of every defcriptions, her uniform and uninterrupted attention to the preservation and continuation of the great system of animation is confpicuous, and merits admiration. Life, it fhould appear, cannot be fupported without the intervention of death. Through almoft the whole of animated nature, as we have seen, nothing but rapine, and the destruction of individuals, prevail. This deftruction, however, has its ufe. Every animal, after death, adminifters lite and happinets to a number of others. In many animals, the powers of digeftion, and of affimilation, are confined to animal substances alone. If deprived of animal food, fuch fpecies, it is evident, could not exist. The chief force of this obfervation, it is admitted,

is applicable folely to the carnivorous tribes, ftrictly fo de. nominated. But, from the facts formerly enumerated, and from the daily experience of every man, it is apparent, that, perhaps, no animal does or can exift totally independent of food that is or has been animated. Sheep, oxen, and all herbivorous animals, though not from choice, and even without confcioufnefs, daily devour thousands of infects. This may be one reason why cattle of all kinds fatten fo remarkably in rich paftures; for infects are always moft numerous where the herbage is luxuriant. Nature is so profufe in her animated production, that no food can be eat, and no fluid can be drunk, in which animal substances, either in a living or dead ftate, are not to be found.'

'The hoftilities of animals, mankind not excepted, give rise to mutual improvement. Animals improve, and difcover a fuperiority of parts, in proportion to the number of enemies they have to attack or evade. The weak, and confequently timid, are obliged to exert their utmost powers in inventing and practifing every poffible mode of efcape. Pure inftinct powerfully prompts; but much is learned by experience and obfervation. Rapacious animals, on the contrary, by frequent difappointment, are obliged to provide against the cunning and alertnefs of their prey. Herbivorous animals, as they have lit le difficulty in procuring food, are proportionally ftupid; but they would be ftill more ftupid, if they had no enemies to annoy them. Man, if his attention and talents were not excited by the animofities of his own fpecies, by the attacks of ferocious animals, and even by thofe of the infect tribes, would be an indolent, an incurious, a dirty, and an ignorant animal. Thofe of the human race, accordingly, who procure their food with little or no industry, as we learn from a multitude of travellers and voyagers, are perfectly indolent and brutishly stupid. Timid animals never use the arts of defence, or provide against danger, except from three caufes, pure inftinct, which is implanted in their natures, imitation, and experience. By experience, timid animals are taught the arts of evafion. Flight is instinctive; but the modifications of it are acquired by imitation and experience.'

The artifices,' the fociety,' and the docility' of animals, furnish alfo many facts, which will please and intereft the reader. All this part of the work is executed with great ability, and we should tranfcribe fome paffages, but that the facts, in general collected from other authors, will furnish nothing new to the naturalift, and we are unwilling to anticipate the entertainment and inftruction of general readers. To abridge these details is impoffible and would be ufelefs.

The chapter, on the characters of animals,' fhews Mr. Smellie to be no inaccurate obferver; but we think he pro

ceeds

ceeds too far, when he confiders the character of any particular animal, on the human face, as generally connected with the difpofition. We have had occafion to point out fome coincidences and fome exceptions. His remarks alfo on the principle of imitation, and the confequences he draws refpecting its influence on our moral characters, are fingularly juft. He thinks fwallows, and fome other birds really migrate, and that their appearance in a torpid ftate, in this kingdom, is accidental. The migration of fish, and particularly of herrings, is undifputed. There are alfo fome well established inftances of the migration of infects; but theirs is not a regular and conftant routine.

Some confiderations on the longevity and diffolution of organized beings, and fome remarks on the progreffive fcale, or chain of beings in the universe, conclude this entertaining volume; a work which we can fafely recommend as giving, with a very few exceptions, a confiftent and rational account of the philofophy of the animal kingdom. It contains numerous important facts, and fome curious interesting obfervations. Our author deferves no inconfiderable commendation for his accuracy and induftry: it has been the labour of many years, and, though we have been obliged to object to particular parts, we ought in justice to commend the work on the whole.

FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. THE

HE extent of the abbé Bertholon's new experiments on the effects of natural and artificial electricity applied to vegetables, has hitherto deterred us from engaging in this fubje t. But, as fome new information has occurred, our account of the progress of fcience will be incomplete if we defer it any longer: the abbe's experiments we cannot give at length; they occur in the Journal d'Histoire Naturelle, in which he is principally engaged,

We gave, fome time fince, an account of M. Ingenhouz's experiments, which feemed to fhow that it was lefs to the clectricity, than to fome other circumstances in which the electrified plants were placed, that the more rapid vegetation was owing. Thefe circumftances M. Bertholon examines particularly, and finds little reason to fuppofe that they can have contributed to the difference, as they are not fo effential to the results, but that their influence may be counteracted by others. The experiments of this philofopher, he contends, are negative only, and they fhould be received with caution, fince fo many pofitive ones have been made by different perfons, who have drawn oppofite conclufions: fome of his own, made in 1787, 1788, and 1789, are next related.