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Book IV. fice of Incubation. But of these Matters in a more proper place (21).

2. When the young ones are produced, not only with what Care do they feed and nurse them, but with what furprizing Courage do all or moft Creatures defend them! It is fomewhat ftrange to fee timid Creatures (22), who at other times are cowardly, to be full of Courage, and undaunted at that time; to fee them furioufly and boldly encounter their Enemy, instead of fly from him; and expofe themselves to every Danger, rather than hazard and forfake their Young.

With this earnest Concern of the irrational Animals for their Young, we may join in the

5th and laft Place, Their Faculty and Sagacity of feeding them. Of which I fhall take notice of three things.

1. The Faculty of fuckling the Young, is an excellent Provision the Creator hath made for those helpless Creatures. And here the agreeableness and fuitableness of that Food to young Creatures deferves particular Obfervation, as alfo their delight in it, and defire and endeavours after it, even as foon as born (23), together with the willingness of all, even the moft favage and fierce Animals

• to

(21) See Book VII. Chap. 4.

(22) Volucribus Natura novam quandam, Pullos educandi, rationem excogitavit: ipfis enim præcipuum quendam amorem in ea que procrearent, ingeneravit, quo impulfa bellum pro` pullis cum ferocibus animalibus, que antè declinarunt, intrepidè fufcipiunt, vi&tumque ipfis convenientem fuppeditant: Galen. de Uf Part. 1. 14. c. 4

(23) In iis animantibus que late aluntur, omnis ferè cibus matrum lattefcere incipit eaque, qua paulo ante nata funt, fine magiftro, duce natura, mammas appetunt, earumque u→

ber

to part with it, and to adminifter it to their Young, yea, to teach and inftitute them in the Art of taking it.

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And laftly, To name no more, the curious Apparatus which is made for this Service in the divers Species of Animals, by a due number of Breafts, proportionable to the Occafions of each Animal, by curious Glands in thofe Breafts, to separate that nutritive Juice, the Milk, by Arteries and Veins to convey it to them, and proper Rivulets and Channels to convey it from them, with Dugs and, Nipples, placed in the moft convenient part of the Body (24) of each Animal, to adminifter it to their Young all these things, I fay, do manifeftly proclaim the Care and Wif dom of the great Creator. Her

mma.

bertate faturantur. Atque ut intelligamus nihil horum effe fartuitum, & hæc omnia effe provida, folertifque natura, que multiplices foetus procreant, ut Sues, ut Canes, bis Man rum data eft multitudo; quas eafdem paucas babent ea beftia, que pauta gignunt. Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1. 2. c. 51. Confule quoque Galen de Uf. Part. 1. 14. c. 4. & 1. 15 c. 7

(24) Animalia folidipeda, & ruminantia,vel cornigera, inter femora Mammas habent, quorum Fetus ftatim à partu pedibus infiftunt, quod matres inter lactandum non decumbant, ut Equa, Afina, &c. Animalia digitata & multipara in medio ventre, fcil. fpatio ab inguine ad pectus (in Cuniculo ufque ad jugulum) duplicem mammarum feriem fortita funt, que omnia decumbentia ubera fætibus admovent, ut Urfa, Leana, &c. Si vero bac in folo inguine Mammas gererent, propria crura inter decumbendum factus acceffum ad mammas nonnihil prepedirent. Mulieribus Mamme bine funt, ut & Papilla, nimirum ut latus lateri conformitèr refpondeat, & ut alternatim infans à latere in latus inter fugendum tranferatur, ne corpus ejus uni lateri nimis affuefcens quoquo modo incurvetur. Si

Book IV. 2. As for fuch Animals as do in another manner breed up their Young, by finding out Food, and putting it into their Mouths, the Provifion made in them for this Service, to ftrike, catch, to pouch and convey their Prey and Food to their Young (25), is very confiderable. And fo is alfo

their

mia, bomo Sylveftris, &c. Blaf. Anat. Animal. Par. 1. Cap. 6. de Cane ex Whartono, See here what Pliny hath alfo, L. 11. Chap 40.

In the Elephant, the Nipples are near the Breaft, by reafon the old one is forced to fuck her felf, and by the help of her Trunk conveys the Milk into the Mouth of her Young. Vid. Phil. Tranf. No. 336.

(25) For an Exemplification, I might name many Animals, particularly Birds, whofe Parts are compleatly fuited to this Service. They are Characteristicks of Rapacious Birds, to have aduncous Bills and Talons to hold and tear, and ftrong brawny Thighs to ftrike and carry their Prey, as well as a fharp piercing Sight to fpy it afar off. Ray Synopf. Method. Av. p. 1. The Pelecane alfo might be here named, for its prodigious Bag under its Bill and Throat, big enough to contain thirty Pints. Id. ibid. p. 122. And to name no more, the common Heron hath its moft remarkable Parts adapted to this Service; long Legs for wading, and a long Neck anfwerable thereto to reach Prey, a wide extenfive Throat to pouch it; long Toes, with ftrong hooked Talons, (one of which is remakably ferrate on the edge) the better to hold their Prey a long fharp Bill to ftrike their Prey, and ferrate towards the point, with sharp hooked Beards ftanding backward, to hold their Prey faft when ftruck; and laftly, large, broad, concave Wings (in appearance much too large, heavy and cumbersome for so small a Body, but) of greateft ufe to enable them to carry the greater Loads to their Nefts at feveral miles diftance; as I have feen them do from feveral Miles beyond me, to a large He ronry above three miles diftant from me. In which I have feen Plaife, and other Fifh, fome Inches long lying under the high Trees in which they build; and the curious and ingenious Owner thereof, D'Acre Barret, Efq; hath feen a large Eel conveyed by them, notwithstanding the great Annoyance it gave them in their Flight, by its twifting this and that way about their Bodies.

way

their Sagacity in equally diftributing it among them, that among many, all fhall be duly, equalqually, and in good Order, fed.

3. There is yet another Inftinct remaining, of fuch Animals as can neither adminifter fuck to their Young, neither lay them in places affording Food, nor can convey and bring them Food, but do with their Eggs lay up Provisions for their future Young. Somewhat of this is reported of Come Birds (26); but I have my felf with plea fure frequently feen fome of the Species of Infects to carry ample Provifions into their dry and barren Cells, where they have feal'd them carefully and cautiously up with their Eggs, partly, tis like, for Incubation fake, and partly as an eafie Bed to lodge their Young; but chiefly for future Provision for their Young, in their Nympha-state, when they stand in need of Food (27).

CHA P. XVI.

The Conclufion.

Tmuch more briefly than the Matters defer

HUS I have as briefly as well I could (and

ved) difpatched the Decad of things I propofed in common to the fenfitive Creatures. And now let us paufe a little, and reflect. And upon the

(26) This is reported of the American Ostrich, mentioned by Acarette, in Phil. Tranf. No. 89. Of which fee Book VII. Chap. 4. Note 4.

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(27) Hornets, Wafps, and all the kinds of Bees provide Honey; and many of the Pfeudofpheca, and Ichneumon-Wafps and Flies, carry in Maggots, Spiders, &c. into their Nefts; of which fee above Note 2. Chap. 13.

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Jod whole

whole matter, what lefs can be concluded than that there is a Being infinitely Wife, Potent, and Kind, who is able to Contrive and make this glorious Scene of things, which I have thus given only a Glance of? For what lefs than Infinite, could ftock fo vaft a Globe with fuch a noble Set of Animals? all fo contrived, as to minifter to one another's Help fome way or other, and most of them ferviceable to Man peculiarly, the Top of this lower World, and who was made as it were on purpose to obferve, and furvey, and fet forth the Glory of the infinite Creator, manifefted in his Works! Who! What but the Great GOD could fo admirably provide for the whole Animal World every thing ferviceable to it, or that can be wifhed for, either to conferve its Species, or to minifter to the Being or Well-being of Individuals! Particularly, who could Feed fo fpacious a World, who could please fo large a number of Palates, or fuit fo many Palates to fo great a variety of Food, but the infinite Confervator of the World! And who. but the fame great HE, could provide fuch commodious Cloathing for every Animal; fuch proper Houfes, Nefts and Habitations; such suitable Armature and Weapons; fuch Subtilty, Artifice and Sagacity, as every Creature is more or lefs armed and furnish ed with, to fence off the Injuries of the Weather, to rescue it felf from Dangers, to preferve it felf from the Annoyances of its Enemies; and, in a word, to conferve its Self, and its Species! What but an infinite fuperintending Power could fo equally balance the feveral Species of Animals, and conferve the Numbers of the Individuals of every Species fo even, as not to over or under-people the Terraqueous Globe! Who, but the infinite wife Lord of the World, could allot every Creature its most faitable place to live in, the moft fuitable Element to breath, and move, and act in! And who but HE could make fo admirable a Set

of