Gems, and frequently in the hardest Wood itself. There are few who have excellent Eyes, but have likewife an additional Benefit of a Couple of Horns, or Antenna, that defend them; and as the Animal moves along, especially in the dark, make a Tryai of the Way, and difcover, by a quick and delicate Senfation, what would defile, drown, or endanger them; and if they find these Horns moistened by any offenfive Liquor or bend by the Refiftance of a folid Body, the Animal is warned of the Danger, and turns another Way. Now all these Motions, even of the minutest Animals, however accidental or capricious they may appear to us, are as really directed to a certain End, as thofe of the largest Beings: We shall find all the Sagacity and Cunning we admire in a Fox, for choofing himself an advantageous Kennel, providing for himself and his Family the Neceffaries of Life, and avoiding the Snare of the Gin, and the Perfecution of the Hunter: The fame Industry with which we see a Bird build itself a convenient Neft, provide for the Subsistence of itself and Youngones, and elude the Snares of the Fowler; you will find the fame Care, the fame Sagacity, actuating the fmalleft Infect for the Prefervation of itself, and its minute Pofterity. The Parent is feldom or never deceived in the natural Choice of Means for its own Prefervation, or the Security and Education of its Young-ones. Diffolve a Grain of Pepper in Water, you may discover, by the Help of a Microscope, Worms of an incredible Smallnefs, fwimming in the Fluid. The Parent, who knows this to be their proper Nourishment, never lays her Eggs in any other Place. Look through a Microscope at a Drop of Vinegar,

Vinegar, there you will difcover a Number of little Eels, and never any other Animals, because one particular Creature knows, that Vinegar, or the Materials that compound it, is proper for her Family, and therefore depofits them either in that Matter, or the Liquor itself, and no where else. In thofe Countries where the Silk-worm feeds at large in the Fields, her Eggs are only to be found in the Mulberry-tree : It is easy to see what Intereft determines her to that Choice. You will never find upon a Cabbage any Eggs of the Caterpillar that eats the Willow; nor fee upon the Willow the Eggs of any Caterpillar who feeds upon Cabbage. The Moth feeks for Curtains, Woollen Stuff, dreffed Skins, or even Paper, because its Materials are Fragments of Cloth, which have loft the bitter Flavour of Hemp, by the working of the Paper-mill. In fhort, every Species of Animals, from Man the Lord of the Creation, to the minutest Infect that the naked Eye or the Microfcope can discover, act with Regularity and Uniformity, with all the Marks of Wisdom, Sagacity, and Prudence, within their feveral Spheres of Action, for the Preservation of their Being, the Propagation of their Species, and answering the several Ends and Purposes of Providence in their Creation, and the Rank which they hold in the System of Nature.—But what am I doing!-Pardon me, Madam; my Purfuit of this copious and delightful Inquiry has led me off from the main Question I proposed to confider, which was, the Neceffity of fome Language, fome Means of communicating the Sentiments, Wants, Inclinations, and

* Spectacle de la Nature. Dial. 1. p. 19. VOL. I.

Defires

Defires of the Individuals of every Society and Family, in order to confult and provide for the Safety and Happinefs of the whole. The mutual Wants of Society, the Care and Education of a Family must be, in fome Senfe, and to a certain Degree, the fame in all Societies and Families of Birds and Beafts, Reptiles and Infects, as well as of Men; and, without some kind of Language, fome Method of Communication, thofe Wants could never be known, nor thofe Neceffities effectually supplied. All Creatures, therefore, that live in Society, who divide the feveral Duties and Offices of that Society among the Individuals, who appoint to every Member their diftinct Offices, their peculiar Posts, their particular Provinces, must of neceffity have fome Language, be it what it will, fince, without this Help, it is quite impoffible for any Society to fubfift. Now, though all Animals do not incorporate in large Societies; yet all have Families, domeftic Engagements, Cares, and Neceffities, which require mutual Help and Affiftance, and by confequence a certain Language, by which their mutual Wants, Inclinations, and Neceffities may be difcovered and made known to each other; fo that every Species of Animals feem to have the fame Want of a Language, of fome kind or another, as those who live in great Societies; for as all Societies are but Affociations of Families or Individuals, whatever infers the Neceffity of a Language in one Cafe, infers it equally in all.

It would be hard to affign a Reason why Nature, or rather, the All-wife Author of Nature, who always acts uniformly, fhould deny fome of them a Privilege he has granted to the reft. It is a general Ob

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fervation

fervation that all the Productions of Nature are uni form; that as she is sparing in Superfluities, fo fhe is rather profufe in Things neceffary, and, upon the whole, does nothing in vain: But is it not neceffary that a Couple of Animals, joined to form a Houfhold and Family together, a Couple of Birds, for inftance, fhould be able to understand, and mutually to impart their Sentiments and Thoughts to each other? Let us return to the old Suppofition of two People abfolutely dumb, living together in the fame Houfe, without the Affiftance of any other Perfon, I defy the Union to fubfift, if they have no Means left of agreeing about their Affairs, and expreffing their mutual Wants and Neceffities. Two Sparrows, two Foxes, two Whales will lie under the fame Impoffibility of living together; and all the Inconveniencies of the dumb Society I have mentioned, will be seen in their refpective Families: In a Word, the Neceffity of a Language between a Hufband and his Wife, to enable them to live together, upon which human Societies fubfift, is, in due degree, the fame in all the Species of Beings below them, in every Tribe and Family of the BruteCreation*. Could it be fuppofed that there were any Race of Animals in the Universe capable of producing their Kind in abfolute Solitude, without the Intervention of a different Sex, it must be confefled the Faculty of Speech to them would be quite a useless Talent; but wherever two Beafts, or two Birds, fhall ftand in an habitual Need of each other, and form among them a lafting Society, they must of Neceffity speak to each other. How is it to be conceived, that, in

Philosoph: Amusement, p. 36, 37, &c.

the Gallantry of their first Addreffes to each other, their mutual Concern and Vigilance for each other's Welfare, and the neceffary Cares that attend the Education of their Families, they fhould not have a thoufand Things to fay to each other? It is impoffible, in the Order of Nature, that a Sparrow, or a Turtle, that is fond of his Mate, fhould be at a Loss for proper Expreffions to difcover the Tenderness, the Jealoufy, the Anger, the Fears he entertains for her, in the feveral Incidents of Life that muft arife betwixt the moft loving Couple, in the Courfe of a long Cohabitation. He must scold her when the plays the Coquet, he must bully the Sparks that make Attempts upon her Virtue, he must be able to understand her when she calls to him; he muft, whilst she is affiduoufly fitting upon her Brood, be able to provide Neceffaries for her, and know distinctly what it is she wants or calls for, whether it be fomething to eat, or Materials to repair her Neft; in all which, a Language, of fome fort or other, is abfolutely neceffary.

Our Author reafons fo pertinently and consistently upon this Head, that I shall choose to give you the two or three following Paragraphs in his own Language. Many Beafts, one will fay, have not a settled " and permanent Houfhold like Birds (for, by"the-bye, Birds are the most perfect Model of con"jugal Conftancy and Fidelity): This I very well "know, and their Number is even very great. Such "are Dogs, Horfes, Deer, and almost all Quadru"pedes, Fishes, and Reptiles. But I fhall always in"fift upon a Principle, granted and acknowledged as "certain; Nature is too much like herself in Pro"ductions

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