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Linné, Carl von

Select dissertations from the Amoenitates academicae... (1781)

Índice
1. i - Anteportada
2. ii
3. iii - Portada
4. iv
5. v - Preface
6. vi
7. vii
8. viii
9. ix
10. x
11. xi
12. xii
13. xiii - Table of contents
14. xiv
15. 129 - Dissertation III. On the Police of Nature. [...]
16. 130
17. 131
18. 132
19. 133
20. 134
21. 135
22. 136
23. 137
24. 138
25. 139
26. 140
27. 141
28. 142
29. 143
30. 144
31. 145
32. 146
33. 147
34. 148
35. 149
36. 150
37. 151
38. 152
39. 153
40. 154
41. 155
42. 156
43. 157
44. 158
45. 159
46. 160
47. 161
48. 162
49. 163
....
52. 166

S E L E C T

D I S S E R T A T I O N S

FROM THE

Amœnitates Academical.
S É L E C T

D I S S E R T A T I O N S
FROM THE

Amœnitates Academicae,
» A SUPPLEMENT TO

MR; STILUNGFLEET'S TRACTS

RELATING TO * D

TRANSLATED BY THE

Rev. F. J: BRAN D, M. A.

I N T W O V O L U M E S .

VOLUME I.

L O N D O N :
Sold by G . ROBINSON, Bookfeller, in PatefnoHer-Row, and
J. ROBSON, in New Bond-ftreet.
M,DCC,LXXXI. .
ж-

Ж: .

4
)

: M. О
P R E F A C E .

Í Ü ^ Í Í | H E reputation of fuperiority in.


f) x (1 the different branches of khow-
|)_^_if ledge is not at prefent the exclu-
live poileliion or a ringle people 3
the different ftates of modern Europe
feem to ihare it among them, with nearly
the fame equality that they have divided
political power. T h e mathematical phi-
lofophy of England has been embraced
by the whole literary world, in fome of
the fine arts Italy has given laws to the
general taire, and in Natural Hiftory the
Swedifh fchool has attained the fame dif-
tinilion and preeminence.

T h e collection of efiays publiihed un­


der the title of the Amcenitates Acadé­
micas are the works of the mofr. capital
. , ' m T r ^ difciples
Vi P R E F A C E .
difciples of this fchool, compofed under
the direction of its illuftrious founder
Linhceus, and very frequently dictated by
him.

A number of thefe were tranflated by


the late Mr. Stillingfleet, under, the title
of Mifcellaneous trails relating to Na­
tural Hiftory : this work was enlarged by
fome valuable additions of his own, par-^
ticularly his obfervations upon Englifh
graffes. T h e limits impofed upon him
by his plan excluded feveral curious pieces
of Zoology, and other ufeful fubjects, and
an aditional Volume has come out fince his
publication: thefe have furnifhed the mate­
rials of the prefent work, which may be
confidered as a fupplement to his tracts 5
and I mail be happy if it do not difgrace
the very able performance which gave
birth to it.

T h e fcarcity of the firfr volumes of the


original work, which are now out of print,
feems to point out the necerTity of fome
attempt
P R E .F A C E . vii
attempt of this kind ; as Natural Hiftory
is at prefent a very general ftudy, and has
been confiderably indebted to the dili­
gence and affiduity o f many perfons to
whom thefe eflàys are not aeceffible in
the language in which they are written ;
the interefl of the fcience itfelf feems to
point out that they mould be informed
o f what .remains to this prefent among
its defiderata, and in what branches it
has been already perfected : both to fur-
nifh them with objects to direct their fu­
ture refearches to, and that they fhould
not fling away their application in pur-
fuits which in the end mull terminate in
the difappointment of finding their dis­
coveries anticipated.

In felecting the e flays I have been fa­


voured with the afliftance o f Dr. Solan-
der, by whofe advice I confiderably en­
larged my firft defign.

Upon
viii P R E F A C E .
Upon a comparifon of the tranflation
with the originals fome omiffions will be
difcovered, and as thefe are not always
noted at the bottom of the page, it is
necefFary to give fome account of them
here. Moft of the writers of the
Amcenitates have thought a very florid
Introduction necefTary to the plain details
of Natural Hiflory : the eftabliihed form
of an Academical thefis may impofe a
kind of neceffity upon the fpeaker to
give into fuch a practice; but as the fub-
ject is the fame in moft of them, a iketch
of the outlines of the three natural king­
doms, and the admiration which a'total view
of them rrruft imprint upon the mind of
man, I have fometimes avoided the mono­
tony of fo undiveriified a Preface; and pre-
ferved only fuch entire as were diftinguifhed
by a particular merit: and the like reafon
has induced me to retain and connect
fome detached parts of others.

The


P R E F A C E , îx
The fame matter is likewife frequently
repeated in the writings o f different per-
fons upon fubjecfts either iimilar or nearly
related; where the connection of the
whole would permit, thefe repetitions
are omitted, and where it would not they
will be found fometimes abridged.

In this tranflation likewife fome c o m ­


parative defcriptions and collections o f
obfervations are digefted into the form o f
tables : the ufe o f fuch compilations is
either to be occafionally confulted, or to
prove fome general concluiion by induc­
tion ; and the readinefs with which any
number o f fuch articles difpofed in a ta­
ble ftrike the eye, renders it fitteft for
that purpofe ; and they ferve only to per­
plex or elude the attention, and embar-
rafs the text when they are incorporated
with it.
x P R E F A C E ,
T h e Latin names of animals and vege­
tables are generally retained in this work,
and their Englifh names given at the bot­
tom of the page*. When Natural Hif-
tory comes t o . b e cultivated to any de­
gree in a country, the number of new
difcoveries at home foon demonftrate the
poverty of the language ; and it muft t o ­
tally fail in a general attempt to name
the variety of fubjecfs flowing in on every
fide from abroad. A language has alfo
at that period other neceffary imperfec­
tions, arifing from the want of fcientific
knowledge in the preceding times in
which it was formed : it gives different
denominations to fome natural fpecies
connected by the nearefr. affinity, and the
fame generical name to thofe which have
no relation to each other: thus we find
the
„ * T h e names of our native animals and infe£rs are
taken from Berkenhout's outlines of the Natural Hif-
tory of Great Britain, volume the firft. But for fuch
as have no names given them in Englifh, I have quoted
his work, the number of the page, and that of the
given fpecies in its g e n u s . — T h e letters B . or Berk, are
marks of reference to this author.
P R E F A C E . xi
the name of Sampire given to the Sali-
cornia europoea, Echinophora fpinofa,
Crithmum maritimum and the Inula
crithmoides. T h e only way both of get­
ting rid of this confufion, and preferving
the language of Natural Hiftory from
becoming a teffelated patchwork of Greek,
Latin and Englifh, is to purfue the me­
thod which M r . Stillingfleet has practifed
in naming the grafles, but till this be
done our firft care ought to be to avoid
perpetuating the old confufion of the fub-
jecl.

A t the end of the difTertation upon the


native ftations of plants there follows in
the original a lift of Swedifh plants rang­
ed according: to their ftations. I have
fubftituted the Englifh plants in its place,
divided according to their time of flow­
ering, and fubdivided according to their
ftations : this does not apply fo well to
the fubject of the efTay, but this" order
has its ufe as giving a better form of a
A 2 general
xii P R E F A C E ,
general Englifh herbation ; and as it was
drawn up for my own private ufe fome
years fince, I did not think of giving
myfelf the trouble of copying out the
whole in a new order : all the alteration
I have made in it is to accommodate it
to the improved edition of Mr. Hudfon's
Flora.

T h e order in which thefe pieces fuc-


ceed each other in the original is not
preferved in the tranflation: thofe rer
lating to the fame or collateral fubjects
being placed immediately after each other
in the order of time in which they were
written ; as they thus exhibit a total view
o f the whole, the hiftory of the fuccef-
five additions and corrections made to a
difcovery, and the progreffion of confe^-
quences deduced from it.

TABLE
T A B L E of CONTENTS.

VOL. I.

I. GENERAL DISSERTATIONS.

1 QN the life of Natural HiJIory, by


Matthew Aphonin, a Nobleman of
Mofcow page i.
2 On the Increafe of the habitable Earth,
by Linnceus - - p. 71.
3 On the Police of Nature, by Chrijl.
Daniel Wilche - - p . 129.

II. ZOOLOGICAL DISSERTATIONS.

4 On the Rhendeer, by Charles Frederic


Hoffberg, of Stockholm - p . 1 6 7 .
On
а

5 On the Migration of Birds, by Charles


Daniel Ekmarck, of Ofirogothland,
p. 215.
6 On the Bite of Serpents, by John Guf-
tavus Acrell - - p. 265.
7 On Inf e Sis, oration, by Linnœus, p. 309.
• 8 'The Flora of Infecís, by Jonas Gußavus
Forfahl - - ' - p. 345-
9 On Noxious Infecís, by Michael A.
Baeckner - - -- ^.369.
10 Mir acula Infeftorum, by Emanuel Ave-
lin, - - p. 413.
11 On the Silk worm, by John Lyman,
P- 437-
1 2 On Corals, by Henry Fougt, p. 457.
I 2
( 9 )

D I S S E R T A T I O N III.

O N T H E

POLICE OF NATURE,

B Y '

CHRIST. DANIEL WILCKE.

Amoen. Acad. vol. 6. p. 17.

<•! M i-M-t-X-i M • H H - » * H H »-»4n-»»-t-»

S U M M A R Y .

SUBJECT / O T J of nature to prefer ve the num­


ber and proportion of the fpecies in the
Natural kingdoms—VE GETABLE KING-

DOM, Riants, that they may not extir­


pate each other feparated by climate, fa-
tion, ti?ne of flowering -Subordination
i o
3 ON T H E
ofplants of different claffes in the P O L I C E
OF N A T U R E .

A N I M A L KINGDOM—XJfes to preferve the


proportion of the -number of plants
2. ornament to the world 3. and 4.
to remove fuperfuitics 5. to difij'emi-
nate plants Examples, worms •
InfecJs confined to feed upon a fingle
plant, exceptions, to part of a plant to
keep it from extirpating others—^-many
fpecies feed upon plants untouched by cat­
tle, definition of a fpecies of plants
by the increafe of their ?7umber prevented
by their being food to other infefls
Clear away putrid matter.

Fifh anfwer the fame purpofes in the wa­


ters Birds Pafleres preferve the
proportion of infers, feeds Gallinas
and others devour fuperfiuous feed and
diff'eminate many fpecies Grails? keep
under the multitude of worms,- infetts
and amphibia -Anferes, frogs, gnats,
and
P O L I C E OF NATURE. 131
and fijh Pica?, worms and infeBs
Accipit'res chief food carrion, fome birds
Mammalia of the waters, fjh
Cattle clear the earth for new vegetation
• fame beafis bury feeds Perse
clear away dead carcafes Bruta, in­
fers and plants on Man.

.ECAPITUL ATTON, confequences of 'the de-


JlruSlion of one fpedes of prey fatal, mi-
nutenefs of fome animalsfinal canfe,fmalleft
animals mojl difficult to extirpate, num­
ber of young in a year dimini/hes with
their longevity.

C H A P T E R I.

§ 1. 2.

T H O S E laws of nature by
which the number of fpe-
' cies in the natural kingdoms is preferved
' undeftroyed, and their relative propor-
S 2 " tions
Î 2
3 ON T II E
*' • tions kept in proper bounds, are ob-
*' •* je£ts extremely worthy of our atten-
" live purfuit and refearches :" in this
inveiligation we mull proceed from her
fimple to her more complicated infli-
tutions : the circumftance of my having
no predeceffor in this enquiry, w i l l , I
hope, be received as a fufficient apology
for venturing upon fuch an attempt, and
for my déficiences in the execution of it.
Entirely omitting the foffiis, I mail en-
deavour to develop fome of the conflitu-
tions eftablifhed for this end in the a n i -
mal and vegetable kingdoms.

§ 2-

VEGETABLE KINGDOM.

If the many thoufand fpecies of vege-


tables grew together in one and the fame
place, fome would infallibly predominate
over and extirpate others ; here w e dif-
cover the moil manifefl tokens of the di-
vine
POLICE OF N A T U R E . r 3 3

vine wifdom; they are feparated into dif­


ferent parts of the world, fome being
natives of India, fome of the temperate
Zone, and others of the Polar circle. In
every country different fpecies have dif­
ferent ftations afiigned them, growing in
the fea, lakes, marfhes, valiies, fields,
hills, rocks and (haded places, and every
one has its different foil, fand, clay, earth,
or chalk, allotted to i t : as for example,
Sweden produces about 1300 different
plants; thefe being each confined to their
proper ftations, there are feldom above
50 or 1 0 0 to be found in a given place;
by which it happens that no one can to­
tally exclude another. Every plant flou-
rifhes beft in its own ftation; if it in­
trude into another it is choaked up by the
native, fpecies, and becoming unhealthy
is at laft totally devoured by the Aphides*
and other infects. And that thefe 1 0 0
fpecies may be the lefs liable to opprefs
one another, fome of them have their
time
* Lice in the leaves of plants.
i.34 ON T H E
time of flowering in the Spring, fome in
Autumn and. others in Summer.

§ 3-

Nature has eftablifhed a fubordination


and the appearance of Police in their fe-
vcral tribes. Among thefe we may con­
sider the Moff'es as the poor laborious pea-
fantsy occupying the mofl barren t r a i l s
of the earth w h i c h they cover and mol­
lify ; and dedicating their fervices to the
other plants, that their roots be not de-
ftroyed by the heat of the fun or the r i ­
gour of the froft: thofe unfertile traits
are allotted to them w h i c h their fellow
citizens do not think worth occupying.

The Graffes are the Yeomanry of the


vegetable k i n g d o m ; they cover the great-
eft part of the furface of the earth, and
the more they are trodden under foot and
opprefTed, the more they extend their
roots
POLICE OF N A T U R E . 135
roots and endeavour to increafe ; their mul­
titude forms the ftrength of the ftate.

Herbs may be looked upon as the Gen­


try \ the luxuriance of their foliage, the
fplendor and beauty of their flowers, their
fmell, tafte and figure, give a kind of
dignity to the vegetable community.

T h e Threes are to be efteemed the Nobi­


lity of this ftate, they are deeply rooted,
elevate their heads above their fellow-ci­
tizens, and protecf them from ftorms, heat
and cold. There are likewife fome daffes of
vegetables which have a fpecies of chartered
rights granted them by nature, a kind of
exclufive privilege in their ftation that no
other plants can make a forcible entry
upon them, or if they do, they eafily ex-
pell the invaders: thus the Ranunculus
ficaria*, the Allium urfinum-p, and the
Senecio faracenicus% maintain their fitua-
tion

* Lefs celandine. f Ramfon.


J Eroau-leaved Rag-wort,
136 ON T H it
tion under the lower fhrubs, and exclude
all other plants; the A vena pratenfis*,
when it gets footing among the juniper,
totally banifhes i t ; the Erica-j- will never
approach to the beach nearer than the
extent of its boughs: fome plants put on
quite a military appearance, armed with
fpines, thorns and hooks, as the thiftle,
the furze, the Berberis and innumerable
others, to protect the herbs which grow
under them from cattle; and fome are
nurfed by other vegetables being unable
to fubfift or to flourifh vigouroufly upon
the earth, as the VifcumJ, the Epiden-
dron,§ Cufcuta and many more.

§ 4 . . .
By this inflitution the feveral vegeta­
bles are preferved in their proper limits;
and though their fpecies amount to many
thoufands,

* Meadow oat-grafs. J Mifletoe.


f Ling. § Dodder.
POLICE OF NATURE. i 3 7

thoufands, the number found upon one


fpot is very fmall.

§ 5. omitted.

The A N I M A L KINGDOM.

§ 6, extraB.

* * * * T h e general received opinion


has been that vegetables were created for
the food and ufes of animals; but attend­
ing to the order of nature, we difcover
that animals were created upon account of
plants.. * * * *

§ 7- '
Animals ferve in the firit place to pre-
ferve a due proportion among vegetables :
2dly. to adorn the theatre of nature and
confume every thing fuperfluous and ufe-
I S
3 (5 N T H E
lefs: 3dly. to remove all impurities ari­
s i n g from animal and vegetable putridity;
and laftly, to multiply and difleminate
plants and ferve them in many other re-
fpec"ls.

§ 8.
Worms fjrft offer themfelves to our
consideration ; but as far the greater num­
ber of thefe are natives of the deepen:
parts of the ocean, which oppofes an in­
vincible obfbacle to our inveftigating their
natural hiftory, I am obliged to pafs this
divifion of my fubjecT: over untouched.

§ 9 and i o .
- •

T h e Infects are the moft numerous


tribe of the miniflers of nature, the mul­
titude of their fpecies feems to vye with
that of plants. * * * Some of thefe
are always found adhering to vegetables,
and fubfift upon them totally when in
the
POLICE OF N A T U R E . 139
the flate of Caterpillars; fuch are the
Papiliones*, ChryiomelEe-f, Aphides t ,
Cicadas §, and a long catalogue befides. If
is almoffc impofllble to find a plant not
expofed to the ravages of fome of thefe,
yet they are all confined to their diilincf
stations in the fame manner as vegeta­
bles ; this is proved by innumerable ex­
amples in the Pandora infecforum. Every
one of thefe has the care of a fingle plant
afligned to it, which when it cannot pro­
cure, there are a few others which it
preys upon by necefiaty, to preferve life
and perpetuate the fpecies, till a new
fupply of its more proper and natural
food fprings up. T h e Silk worm feeds
upon the leaf of the mulberry, but when
it cannot be obtained in fufficient plenty,
it fubfifts upon the Letuce and the leaves
of fome trees; but the diminution of its
beauty, fize and vivacity, and the inferior
quantity and quality of its filk clearly
T 2 point

* Butterfly. \ Leaf-loufe.
f Gold-chafFer. § Grafsfaopper.
140 0 N T H E
point out that fuch food is by no means
well adapted to its nature. T h e leaves
of a given plant are fometimes the food
of one infect, the flowers, the feed vef-
fel, and feed, of fo many others; thus
the Tenthredo fcrophularise * devours only
the leaves of that plant, the Curculio
fcrophularise -j- its fructification ; the Cir-
culio nucumj the' kernel of wood nuts,
and the Phalsena ftrobilella the cones of
the fir.

§ 11 and 1 2 .

Every plant has its proper infect al­


lotted to it to curb its luxuriancy, and
that it mould not multiply to the exclu-
fion of others, and when the infect is
well fupported by the difcharge of his
commifhon, he lives plentifully and pro­
pagates a numerous offspring, but by the
failure of his work he languishes and
dies. Thus grafs in meadows fometimes
•- .

flourishes
* Berk. 163. 4. f Figworth wevil.
% Nut-wevil.
POLICE OF N A T U R E . 141
flourimes fo as to exclude all other plants:
here the Phalama graminis, with her nu­
merous progeny, find a well fpread ta­
ble ; they multiply in immenfe numbers,
and the farmer for fome years laments
the failure of his hay crop; but the
grafs being confumed, the Phalaenas die
with hunger, or remove to another place.
Now the quantity of grafs being greatly
diminifhed, the other plants which were
before choked by it fpring up, and the
ground becomes variegated with a multi-
titude of different fpecies of flowers : had
not nature given a commimon to this mi-
nifter for that purpofe, the grafs would
deftroy a great number of fpecies of ve­
getables of which the equilibrium is now
kept up. T h e Scrophularia* is eaten by
very few cattle, it affords food to a num­
ber of fpecies of infects: fcarce any
beaft will touch the nettle, fifty different
kinds of infects are fed by i t ; fome of
which

* Figwort.
142 - O N T H E
which feize upon the root, while the
ftern, leaves, flowers and feeds, are eaten
by others; without this multitude of
enemies it would annihilate a great num­
ber of plants : T h e fame holds good, in
fhrubs and timber trees, efpecially thofe
which produce fpines, and are eafily dif-
feminated; the loftier plants are fo much
the more preyed upon by infects, as they
are lefs expofed to the attacks of cattle:
and infects appear to be created to refl'rain
the different fpecies of vegetables within
proper limits,
i

But the avidity with which they exe­


cute this commiffion might degenerate
into an abufe, which would terminate in
the utter ruin of their fubject vegetables,
if they were permitted not only to re­
train its excefs, but totally to annihilate
a fpecies: the Oeconomy of Nature has
there-
POLICE OF NATURE. 143
therefore fubjefted them to certain mode­
rators, that they may increafe but not in­
definitely. Thofe infects which fub-
fift upon plants have others fet over
them, who devour their fuperfluous num­
bers ; thefe, like all carnivorous animals,,
deftroy a great number of individuals for
their fupport, they abound moll where
their prey is in the greateft quantity, and
exercife their force where it is moil
wanted. Where the Aphides* find a
a plant fickly, they almofl cover the leaves
and branches; here the Mufca Ribefii,
Pyraftri-j-, and others of the fame family
afTemble and depofit their eggs, which
are fcarce hatched, and acquire motion
before they totally deftroy the Aphides £ ;
fhey are likewife joined in this work by
the progeny of Coccionella, Hemerobius§,
and the Ichneumon aphidum||.

* Leaf-loufe. J Leaf-loufe.
f B . 1 7 4 . 7. § Golden e y e . .
|| Leaf-loufe ichneumon.
144 O N T H E

§ H-
T h e Phaloena ftrobilella has the fir cone
affigried to it to depoftt its eggs upon ; the
young caterpillars coming out of the (hell
confume the cone and fuperfluous feed; but
left the deftruclion mould be too general,
the Ichneumon ftrobilellas lays its eggs
in the caterpillar, inferting its long tail
in the openings of the cone till it touches
the included infect, for its body is too
large to enter; thus it fixes its minute
egg upon the caterpillar, which being
hatched, deftroys it. But left it mould
multiply to the total extermination of the
former fpecies, the Ichneumon moderator,
a very fmall infecf enters into the cone,
and lays its eggs upon the caterpillar of
the Ichneumon ftrobilella, which being
hatched, devour i t : we owe this difco-
very to D . Rolander.
POLICE OF NATURE. 145

1
§ 5-
T h e Caterpillars of the Phalaenae,
which fubfift upon trees and herbs, have
alfo other infects fet over them; the Ca-
rabi* get by night upon the branches of
the trees, and devour what caterpillars
they find, as Reamur informs us : thofe
who raife fruit trees cannot practice a
better expedient to free themfelves from
caterpillars, than to collect thofe infects,
and place their eggs at the foot of the
tree; which being hatched will execute
their office in the Police of Nature, and
devour them.

§ 16.

Wherever any putrid matter is col­


lected, certain infects are gathered toge­
ther by it, whofe brood devour it, and
prefently purify the place : Gnats drop
their eggs over impure and putrid water,
U the
.• • v • •

* Species of Beeticr-
146 O N T H E
the Mufca putris"* in mire, the Mufca
domefticaj in dunghills, and others in
dead carcafes : -but left thefe mould mul­
tiply beyond proper limits, fome vigilant
overfeers are appointed over them; the
Spider weaves innumerable webs upon
every bufh, the Afili-j- fuck their blood,
and the Dragon fly catches them wherever
he flies.

§ !7;
Thus hundreds and thoufands of fepa-
rate commimons are given to different
animals, that the general proportion of
things mould be kept u p ; and nothing
be multiplied beyond i t : Every created
thing has a fuperior and a fubordination
appointed it.

* B . 176. 17. \ Houfe-fly.


t Hornet-fly. '


POLICE OF NATURE. 147

. § 18.

Fifh in the waters partly fubfifr, upon


plants, partly by prey; thoie devour
aquatic vegetables, thefe the worms and
infefts they find there : but leaft tliey
fhould be entirely extirpated by them,
there are fifh of prey who thin the inha­
bitants of the waters, and harrafs their
numerous fhoals. T h e fmaller fifh would
be able to avoid them by turning fre­
quently, and the excellence of their fins,
if their number did not hinder their
efcape. Thofe which do not multiply in
in that abundance, are armed with fpines
to keep off their enemies. T h e bodies of
dead fifh. in the bottom of the water are
perforated by eels, and devoured by the
Myxinse, befide crabs and fome infects:
fo that here likewife we fee the greater!
attention employed to preferve purity as
well as proportional number.
U 2 § 19.
148 -O N T H E

' § J 9 ' > '.; V •

T h e number of Amphibious animals


is lefs than that of the former- clafs, yet
every one has his diflincl: province affigned
him : the Frogs remove all thofe fuper-
fluities which fwarm upon the furface of
our waters and wells, as the Duck-weed :
and thofe fmall worms Which change into
Gnats; Serpents and Lizards prey upon
infects, the Squali* and RajseJ devour dead
bodies at the bottom of the fea. .

§ 20.

T h e Birds, whofe tribes are fo nume­


rous, have all their peculiar diftinctions
and offices in the Police of Nature.

I 21. •;

T h e numerous genera of the Pafleres§


feed chiefly upon infects, and as thefe
," mofily
* Shark genus. % Skjtte. § Order 6.
POLICE OF N A T U R E . 149
moftly'abound in trees, they fly thither in
great flocks; if they do not thus obtain
a fufficient provifion, they feek their food
el fewhere : fome of them pick up fuper-
fiuous fcattered feeds; the Starling lives
upon earth worms, the Goatfucker upon
, moths, the Par-us* different fpecies of
gnats : And as infects generally die at the
end of Summer, thefe birds either hide
themfelves in fome retreat during winter,
or migrate into other regions. Thofe
who live indifferently upon feeds and in­
fects, make ihift to. pick up a fcanty liv­
ing in Winter with us until the return of
Spring.

§ 22.

T h e Gallinao -j- and doves feed upon fu-


perfluous feeds ; the T u r d i $ fearch for the
fpot where there is the greateil quantity
of berries; and if they devour them in
too great quantities, many pais through
, them
* Tit-moufe. f Order 5.
% T h e Black-bird, the Miflel-bkd, and others'of
this genus.
150 O N T H E
them undigefted and fertilized : the Alau-
dae*, who pick up fuch a variety of feeds,
diffeminate likewife a great number, and
often leave them where we wonder to find
them fpontaneous: this was the caufe of
oats fpringing up in fields fown with rye,
which in our age had almoft perfuaded
all Europe to believe in the tranfmutation
of corn.
-

T h e Tetraones -j- and Peacock feed their


young with infects, hence the former
feek our Northern countries in flights,
where the innumerable quantity of gnats
enables them to find their young a plen­
tiful fubfiftencej' thefe infects are thus
prevented from perifhing without a ufe.

* Lark. f Moor game.


POLICE OF NATURE. 151

§ 24.

The Grallae* perform their taflc in lakes


and pits, where myriads of infects, afca-
rides and worms, are continually em­
ployed in removing all impurities; by the
affiftance of thefe birds, a due propor­
tion is kept up among them : in Summer,
when the marines are dried up in hot
climates, they migrate to u s ; but the ice
locking up the waters when Winter fets
in, and depriving them of their food,
they are obliged'to return into the fouth:
the Nile, which before had covered over
the face of Egypt, retreating, a number
of Amphibious animals are left upon the
the earth; the ftorks refort there at
that feafon, whofe principal food is am­
phibious animals and ferpents.

* Order 4.
iz
5 O N T H E

The Anferes* and Anates-j- receive


their commiffion from nature to clear the
waters of all fuperfluities, and devour the
brood of frogs and gnats; the Mergi J ,
Alcas§, Colymbi [], Lari^[ and Sterna?**,
prevent fiih from multiplying to excefs;
the Diomedea?, the Pelicans and Phae-
thontes inhabit* the ocean ; they hover in
flights over the flying fifh, their proper
prey, when they are purfued by the C o ­
ry pheni.

§ 26.

It is the bufinefs of the Picas to clear


the earth by picking up the worms and
infedls; the Buceros and Corvus corax -j—j-
, . devour

* Order 3. || Guillemots,
f Ducks. Gulls.
± Divers. * * Terns.
§ Awks. f f Rawri.
POLICE OF N A T U R E . 153
devour carion, the Graculus*, Crotopha-
gus and Cuculus-j- many infe&s, the Cer-
thia^ feeds upon their eggs ; the Tipula|j
feeds upon the roots of Grafs, and leaves
the Italic {landing, which thus prevents
any future vegetable from occupying its
place; the C r o w , who is exceedingly
fond of the. caterpillar of the Tipula, is
obliged to dig up the dead ftalks to come
at them, and thus performs the tafk af-
figned to her.

§ 27.

T h e Accipitres find their appointed food


in dead bodies, but when this provifion
fails, they (but with greater difficulty
indeed) fubfift upon fuperfluous birds.
T h e Lanii§ are employed in diminifhing
the number of beetles. A l l birds pro-
mifcuoufly are not the prey of the ^ [ A c -
X cipitres
* Cornifh cough. || Berk. 1 7 1 .
•}- C u c k o w . § Butcher bird.
% Creeper. f Hawk genus.
154 O N T H E
cipitres, their mode of flight protects a
great many. T h e principal food of the
Buteo* is thè toad ; fome prey only on
the Doves, others on Domeftic fowl, the
Stork or the Sparrows; the Halietus-f-
feizes the largèff. fifh, the Perinopterus,
Papa, Aura and Harpya, fcarcely touch
any thing but dead carcaffes, and therefore
are very flow in flight ; the Owl deflroys
the fuperfluous bats, mice, hares and the
nocturnal mammalia, befide moths.

§ 28.

T h e Mammalia are fewer in number,


but more vigorous in their operations.

. - •

§ 29.
T h e Cète %, with the Phocas^ and L u -
traejl, are the rulers of the waters, and
fubfifl:
• i

* Buzzrrd. t Ofprey. % Order j\


§ Sea calf. I| Otters.
POLICE OF NATURE. 155
fubfifr. by repreffing the too great abun­
dance o f their inhabitants.

§ 3°-
T h e Pecora and Belluas* every year de­
vour the herbs that the face o f the earth
may be cleared for its annual renovation:
certain fpecies o f vegetables feem inter­
dicted to certain animals, leaffc other fpe­
cies w h o follow them mould be totally
deprived o f fubfiftence.

§ 31-
T h e Glires-j~ have it afligned to them in
office to g n a w away and confume all fu-
perfluous and dead fubftances, having a
difagreeable appearance; the Squirrel is
as great a devourer o f the cones o f pines,
as the L o x i a curviroftraj and C o c c o t h r a u -
fies§, w h i c h fcattering their feeds, fubfift
X 2 upon
* Order 5. and 6. \ % Crofs bill.
| Order 4. § H a w finch.
156 O N T H E
upon their fuperfluous parts: the Squir­
rel, together with the Moufe, the Cor-
vus caryocataftes * and Glandarius-f-, after
they are well fed, collect and bury nuts
and acorns in the earth, where they are
frequently left either by their forgetful-
nefs, being driven from their old haunts,
or by death; thus thefe feeds which per­
haps would never have been buried a proper
depth in the earth to vegetate, fpring and
grow up into trees.

§ 39-

T h e BeftiasJ, as the S u s f , Nafua, E r i -


naceus§ and Talpa||, in their fearch after
worms and roots, turn up the earth, and

* Nutcracker. f Swine.
t Jay. § Hedge-hog.
% Order-2. || Mole.
POLICE OF NATURE. 157

T h e Ferae* are employed in taking


away dead carcaffes from the iurface o f
the earth, and hence they are aifembled
at places where they abound, but a c c o m ­
panied by the F a l c o n , the V u l t u r e , the
O w l and the C r o w , and other birds def-
tined to the fame fervice ; being all drawn
together by the putrid fcent of their
prey : the wildeft beaft never deflroys ano­
ther but through neceffity.

§ 6

T h e Bruta, as the Elephant, the Sloth,


the A n t , Bear and the M a n i s , together
w i t h fome animals o f the clafs o f the
Primates-f~, as the M o n k e y , and the fwarms
o f Indian bats inhabit the lofty woods o f
. o f thofe countries, w h i c h cover the herbs
below

* Order 2, t Order r.
i 8
5 O N T H-E
below as it were with one continued roof,
left they fhould be totally parched up by
the heat of the fun : part of thefe, as
the Bat, Ant eater and Manis, fufift upon
thofe infecls which are moft numerous;
and others, as the Elephant, Monkey,
Lemuris and Sloth, upon the fruits and
luxuriant foliage of trees.

§ 35-

Man is the laft and higheft minifter of


Nature, to whofe ufe and convenience
every thing is fubfervient; and he in
many inftances ferves to keep up her in-
ftituted proportions: the greateft whale
in the ocean, the moft ferocious lion or
tyger on the land, falls a victim to his
boldnefs and addrefs. H e accommodates
to his ufe herbs, trees, fiih, birds, and
every thing fuperfluous in the fyftem.—
Thus an exacl: equilibrium is kept up,
where nothing is redundant or ufelefs.
But
POLICE OF NATURE. 159
But man himfelf is fubjecl: to this gene­
ral inftitution ; in places abounding with
inhabitants, contagious diforders prevail
with more frequency and force, and I do
not know whether it be not a pofitive
conftitution of nature, that wars mould be
moft. common where men are found moft
numerous.

C H A P T E R II.

F R O M the examples above laid down,


we difcover the following laws in
the Police of Nature.

Vegetables which are fo many proofs


of the wifdom of the great Creator, are
defKned always to preferve their number
of fpecies. T o obtain this end, genera­
tion, nutrition and proportion are necef*
160 O N T H E
Animals feem created to afiifi: in effect-
ing thefe three purpofes.

T h e y afiift in the generation of plants


by cropping them down, and preventing
a fterility, which might be the confe-
quence of too much luxuriance: they
likewife admirably contribute to their dif-
femination, and many of them dig up
the earth for the reception of their feeds.
Birds and cattle carry'many of them to
diftant places where they never fprung
before, to omit thofe which, after having
fatisned their hunger, hoard what remains
of their ftore in the earth : their dung
likewife ferves to the fupport of vege­
tables.

Their proportion feems to be among


the moll Wonderful inftitutions of na­
ture ; animals feem to be the principal
Minifters fet over them by her to take
care that of the many fpecies of vegeta­
bles, no one mould be totally extirpated:
POLICE OF NATURE. 161
the fubordination of animals, obferved be­
fore, greatly affifts to this end.

From the parts of Natural Hiftory al­


ready known, we may form a judgement
of the importance of every one of the con-
ftitutions of nature $ if the fpecies def-
tined to prey upon any particular animal
were .to periih, the greateft calamities
might remit from i t : Nature has ap­
pointed the Quifcula to watch over the
Dermeftes piforum*, thefe being extir­
pated in North America by mooting, the
peas have been totally ruined. If all the
Sparrows were to be deftroyed here, our
plantations would be-ruined by the G r y l -
America, deprived of Swine,-would
be infefted with ferpents to an intolerable
degree; and we muft believe the fame
withrefpect to the other fervants of the
Great Family of Nature, fince its Author
has permitted nothing to be without fuf-
ficient reafon.
Y Very
i62 O N T H E

V e r y manifeft indications o f the wif-»


dom o f nature are to be gathered from
the fize o f fome animals being reftrained
in given b o u n d s ; i f the Cicindela*, the
Libellula-}-, or the Scolopendra, had been
created equal in magnitude to a L i o n , the
w h o l e human and animal race mull have
been deftroyed.

O n e circumitance w h i c h ferves to prq-


ferve the general proportion deferves our
higheft admiration, that the leafl animals
are propagated in the greater! numbers, and
are with the mofl difficulty totally extir­
pated : it admits no doubt that a fingle
jfpecies o f infects, though o f the fmalleft
fize, can c o m m i t more ravages in a village
than an Elephant j the w h o l e fpecies o f
fuch infects cannot be extirpated, the E l e ­
phant may be killed by a fingle fhot.

T h e long lived animals propagate very


flow; the clafs o f H a w k s lay but four

* Meadow wjg. f Dragon fly. .


POLICE OF NATURE. 16-3
eggs in a year, the Domeftic fowl from
thirty to fifty, Doves two every month ;
the Hare has young often in a year, and
a Bee in the fame period will lay 40,000
eggs.

T h e higher minifters of nature, the


animals of prey, are flower and more in­
dolent than others, and, never feek their
prey but when urged by hunger; as we
obferve in Lions, Tygers and Eagles.—
Beafls of prey, when they can get nd
dead carcanes, find confiderable difficulty
in getting food ; and they catch generally
only fuch of the other animals who are
infirm with age or diftemper; thofe
which are young and healthy efcaping
them by running, flying, fwimming, or
in fome other mode.

There are fome animals likewife in the


Police of Nature who are appointed as
watchmen to warn other animals of their
danger, as the Charadrius fpinofus, L a -
Y 2 IMUS,
164 O N T H E
riius*, Grus-f-, Meleagris,- and others,
which give notice to the birds bf a hawk
being out in fearch of prey: nor would
the larger conchs ever efcape the Sepia
loligo $ unlefs they had the Cancer p i n ­
notheres as a guard. T h u s we fee N a -
ture fefemble a well regulated ftate in
which every individual has his proper
employment and fubfiftence, and a proper
gradation of offices and officers is ap­
pointed to correct and reftrain every de­
trimental excefs.

- * Butcher bird. f Crane. J Sea fleevc,

:
. i — a n s a — ' *

' i v ~y< ;o'r 37s. dzi:'..r

NOTE. 1 have taken the fame liberty with this


Effay as with fome others, in omitting fome very
considerable paflages in it. T h e reafons which in ge­
neral have determined me to this are explained in the
Preface. • -
T h e care which Nature is evidently feen to take in
many inftances. to preferve different fpecics of the Ani­
mal and'Vegetable kingdoms from being tot&Hy.extfr'-
• - pated,
P O L I C E OF N A T U R E . f%
pateci, and to keep up a relative proportion in their
lumbers, renders it extremely probable that it is" her
general defign. T h o f e parts o f the original Effay
which tend to prove this are retained here.
But there is a fecund point which our author labours
to efrablifh ; that Vegetables were not created for the
ufe o f animals, but animals to preferve the number and
proportion o f the fpecies o f plants. He has fup-
ported this new opinion more like a Rhetorician than
a Natural Hiftorian. I have contented myfelf with
leaving the fimple propoiition in the text, omitting the
proofs upon which it is founded. But to gratify
the curiofity o f the reader as to the mode in which
the fubject is tieated, I" fhall in this Nete extract and
put together his Argumcntum Achilleum: " Plants art
" devoured by animals ; but I can difcover no reafon to
" fuppofe that Sheep were created for Wolves, Horfes
"for Tygcrs, Oxen for Lions, or Doves and Peacocks,
"for filthy, Jlinking Hawks and Kites, which art 'not
"good to eat--.—nor can we fay that plants, exifl for
" thoje animals which prey upon them; does the Pea font
" exifl for the Conjlable, the Conflable for the fuftice of
"Peace, or the fuftice of Peace for the LoraI Lieute-
" nantf" Exclusive o f this unlucky proposition, this
eiTay gives a very ingenious and enlarged view o f one
part o f the fyftem o f nature; and proves, by a well
Xclefted variety o f instances from Natural Fliitory, that
the apparent fcene o f carnage-carried on in nature by
animals o f prey, is'not only fubfervient, but o f abfo-

K-p . . . ; - *lu*
i66 POLICE OF NATURE.
lute neceffity to the preferving of the order of things
in that perfedion in which it was created ; and whick
fubfifts alone by maintaining the number of fpecies,
and the relative proportion of the individuals of each
unaltered.

Q N

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