(with which I conclude,) I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are thy Works, and that my Soul knoweth right well.

Having thus made what (confidering the Copioufness and Excellence of the Subject,) may be called a very brief Survey of Man, and feen fuch admirable Marks of the divine Defign and Art; let us next take a tranfient View of the other inferiour Creatures; and begin with QUADRUPEDS.

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BOOK VI.

A Survey of QUADRUPEDS.

I

С НА Р. І.

Of their Prone Posture.

N taking a View of this Part of the Animal World, fo far as the Structure of their Bodies is conformable to that of

Man, I fhall pass them by, and only take notice of fome Peculiarities in them, which are plain Indications of Defign, and the Divine Super-intendence and Management. And, 1. The moft vifible apparent Variation is the Prone Pofture of their Body Concerning which, I fhall take notice only of two Things, the Parts miniftring thereto, and the Use and Benefit thereof.

I. As for the Parts, 'tis obfervable, that in all these Creatures, the Legs are made exactly conformable to this Pofture, as thofe in Man are to his erect Pofture: And what is farther obfervable alfo, is, that the Legs and Feet are always admirably fuited to the Motion and Exercifes of cach Animal: In fome they are made for Strength only,

to

to fupport a vaft, unwieldy Body (a); in others they are made for Agility and Swiftnels (b), infome they are made for only Walking and Running, in others for that, and Swimming too (); in others. for Walking and Digging (d), and in others for Walking and Flying (e): In fome they are made more lax and weak, for the plainer Lands; in others rigid, ftiff, and lefs flexible (f), for traverfing

(a) The Elephant being a Creature of prodigious Weight, the largest of all Animals; Pliny faith, hath its Legs accor dingly made of an immenfe Strength, like Pillars, rather than Legs.

(b) Deer, Hares, and other Creatures, remarkable for Swiftnefs, have their Legs accordingly flender, but withal ftrong, and every way adapted to their Swiftnefs.

(c) Thus the Feet of the Otter are made, the Toes being all conjoined with Membranes, as the Feet of Geefe and Ducks are. And in Swimming, it is obfervable, that when the Foot goes forward in the Water, the Toes are close; but when backward, they are fpread out, whereby they more forcibly ftrike the Water, and drive themselves forward. The fame may be obferved also in Ducks and Geese, &c.

Of the Caftor or Beaver, the French Academifts fay, The Structure of the Feet was very extraordinary, and fufficiently demonftrated, that Nature hath defigned this Animal to live in the Water, as well as upon Land. For although it had four Feet, like Terreftrial Animals, yet the hindmoft feemed more proper to fwim than walk with, the Five Toes of which they were compos'd, being joined together like thofe of a Goose by a Membrane, which ferves this Animal to fwim with. But the fore ones were made otherwife; for there was no Membrane which held thofe Toes joined together: And this was requifite for the Conveniency of this Animal, which ufeth them as Hands like a Squirrel, when he eats. Memoirs for a Nat. Hift. of Animals, pag. 84.

(d) The Mole's Feet are a remarkable Inftance."

(e) The Wings of the Bat are a prodigious Deviation from Nature's ordinary Way. So 'tis in the Virginian Squirrel, whofe Skin is extended between the Fore-Legs and its Body.

(f) Of the Legs of the Elk, the French Academifts fay, Although fome Authors report, that there are Elks in Mofco

ing the Ice, and dangerous Precipices of the high Moutains (g); in fome they are fhod with tough and hard Hoofs, fome whole, fome cleft; in others with only a callous Skin. In which latter, 'tis obs fervable that the Feet are compofed of Toes, fome fhort for bare-going, fome long to fupply the Place of a Hand (b); fome armed with long and ftrong Talons, to catch, hold, and tear the Prey; fome fenced only with fhort Nails, to confirm the Steps in Running and Walking.

II. As the Pofture of Man's Body is the fitteft for a rational Animal, fo is the Prone Pofture of Quadrupeds the most useful and beneficial to themfelves, as also most serviceable to Man. For they are hereby better made for their gathering their Food, to purfue their Prey, to leap, to climb, to fwim, to guard themselves against their Enemies, and in a word, to do whatever may be of principal Ufe to themselves; as alfo they are hereby rendered more useful and ferviceable to Man, for carrying his Burdens, for tilling his Ground, yea, even for his Sports and Diverfions.

via, whofe Legs are jointless; there is great Probability, that this Opinion is founded on what is reported of thofe Elks of Mufcovia, as well as of Cæfar's Alce, and Pliny's Machlis, that they have Legs fo ftiff and inflexible, that they do run on Ice without flipping; which is a way that is reported that they have to fave themselves from the Wolves, &c. ibid. p. 108.

(g) The common tame Goat (whofe Habitation is generally on Mountains and Rocks, and who delighteth to walk on the tops of Pales, Houfes, c. and to take great and feemingly dangerous Leaps) I have obferv'd, hath the Joints of the Legs very ftiff and ftrong, the Hoof hollow underneath, and its Edges fharp. The like, I doubt not, is to be found in the Wild Goat, confidering what Dr. Scheuchzer hath faid of its climbing the most dangerous Craggs of the Alps, and the Manner of their hunting it. Vid. Iter. Alpin. 3. p. 9.

(b) Thus in Apes and Monkeys, in the Beaver before, and divers others.

And

And now I might here add a Survey of the excellent Contrivances of the Parts miniftring to this Pofture of the four-footed Animals, the admirable Structure of the Bones (i), the Joints and Muscles; their various Sizes and Strength; their commodious Lodgment and Situation, the nice Equipoise of the Body, with a great deal more to the fame purpose. But I should be tedious to infift minutely upon fuch Particulars, and befides, I have given a Touch upon thefe Kinds of Things, when I fpake of Man.

Paffing by therefore many Things of this Kind, that might deferve Remark, I fhall only confider fome of the Parts of Quadrupeds, differing from what is found in Man (k), and which are manifeft Works of Defign.

(i) It is a fingular Provifion Nature hath made for the Strength of the Lion, if that be true, which Galen faith is reported of its Bones being not hollow (as in other Animals) but folid: Which Report he thus far confirms, that most of the Bones are fo; and that thofe in the Legs, and fome other Parts, have only a small and obfcure Cavity in them. Vid. Galen. de Uf. Part. L. 11. c. 18.

(k) Thefe Sorts of Differences in the Mechanism of Animals, upon the Score of the Pofition of their Bodies, occur fo often, that it would be no mean Service to Anatomy if any one would give us a Hiftory of thofe Variations of the Parts of Animals, which spring from the different Poftures of their Bodies, Drake Anat. V. 1. B. I. c. 17.