of Egypt cannot be enough thankful to Providence for this bird. All the places round Cairo are filled with the dead bodies of asses and camels; and thousands of these birds fly about and devour the carcasses, before they putrify, and fill the air with noxious exhalations." Belon observes, which proves their prevalence there, that in Palestine they devour an infinite number of mice, which would otherwise be a great pest. The cognate tribe, the eagles, though they are widely dispersed, have their metropolis in more northern climates, and are distinguished also from the Vultures, by making living animals chiefly their prey for this they are gifted with a wonderful acuteness of sight, and indomitable strength of wing, and of legs and talons, fitting them for astonishing velocity of flight, and for resistless force, when they attack and bear off their prey. As they have no scent, their eyes are of infinite use, and enable them to discern a small bird at an almost incredible distance: and often to get a clearer view and more extensive horizon, when they leave their mountain aeries, they ascend to a great height. M. Ramond, when he had ascended the highest peak of the Pyrenees, saw an eagle soaring above him, flying directly in the teeth of a violent south-wester, with inconceivable velocity.

Another genus of a tropical type, but not confined to the tropics, forming a striking contrast with the gigantic forms last adverted to, consists of the numerous species of the brilliant and diminutive Humming birds, which like the butterflies, whose analogues they are, suck the nectar of the flowers. This, strictly, American genus is in great force, also without the tropics, for they abound in Mexico, and go northward as far as Canada, and southward as far as Patagonia. There is no northern metropolis for any analagous form, to these living gems, which constitute the ornament and life of the new world. But the old shares with the new, in another beautiful type in the winged creation; I mean the Psittaceous or Parrot tribes, which chiefly support themselves upon fruits, and abound in all tropical countries, these the Creator has not only invested with the gayest colours and plumage, but gifted also with the power of speech, at least of imitating the speech of man, when brought into contact with him. Their principal residence is within the tropics, but not confined to them, as many are found in New Holland. The Aras1 are confined to the new world, and one of its greatest ornaments; their plumage being the most brilliant of any of the Psittaceans.

An analogous tribe of mammiferous animals inhabits the

1 Macrocercus.

same station, and feeds on the same food with the parrots, these are what Zoologists call the Quadrumanes, or Fourhanded beasts, from their often using their hind as well as their fore feet as hands, and many of them even their tail. This tribe includes the Monkeys, Apes, and Baboons, and though these do not imitate man, by catching his phrases, like the birds last named, yet they mimic all his actions. I have often thought, when I have examined figures of this tribe, that their features are typical of the different kinds of face observable in the human species: as far as relates to body they approach us, but in the spiritual part of our nature, elevated by high expectations, and by knowledge not confined to this globe on which we tread, but traversing the heavens, and penetrating in thought to the throne of Him who sitteth upon them, we infinitely exceed them.

Those animals that are of a predaceous or carnivorous character, are more widely dispersed, than many of the herbivorous ones, in fact they are co-extensive with their food, I do not mean specifically, but generically. Though the Lion and the Tiger, and the larger feline animals are generally tropical, yet. the Cat is naturalized every where. Though the Hyæna and the Jackal shrink from the temperature of the greater part of Europe, yet Wolves and Foxes, as well as the great majority of the canine race, are found indigenous, or have been formerly indigenous, in almost every part of it.

Many more instances might be adduced proving that animals have been placed originally in certain stations, adapted to the habits resulting from their organization and general structure, from which some of them have sent forth their colonies far and wide, while others, owing to peculiarities in these respects, requiring a given temperature and kind of food, or to local obstacles stopping their farther progress, have not wandered beyond certain limits.

1

Having, in the preceding pages, endeavoured to account for the dispersion and present stations of the various members of the animal kingdom at large, not to leave the subject incomplete, I must next make a few observations relative to that of the human race.

It has been a favourite theory of some modern physiologists that God hath not made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth," but that there are different species of men as well as of animals: others, who do not go quite so far, suspect-that at the last great deluge, besides Noah and his family who were saved in the ark, some others

escaped from that sad catastrophe by taking refuge on some of the highest mountain ridges of Asia and Africa, and seem to insinuate that from these arose the three principal races, the Caucasian, the Mongol, and the Negro, that now hold possession of our globe. I shall say something in controversion of each of these theories, beginning with the last.

This indeed furnishes a clue for its own refutation, since it admits three principal stems, which is in accordance with the Mosaic account, that from the families of the three sons of Noah, the nations were divided in the earth after the flood. The author of the above theory seems disposed to admit the truth of the Mosaic account, but insinuates that it may have been only intended to instruct the Israelites in the history of the race to which they belonged, while that of other races may have been passed over in silence. It is too much the fashion, in this sceptical age, to evade the facts that are most clearly revealed in Scripture, by saying the language must not be taken strictly nor interpreted literally, even when it is concerning events in which there is no room for metaphor. One would think that the terms in which God foretold the deluge were of this description. “And behold I, even I. do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die." And again-"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered: fifteen cubits upwards did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered." It is also stated, that every living substance, both man and cattle, &c., was destroyed from the earth, and that Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Can language be more definite and express?

What can be more absurd than that an ark should be necessary for the saving of Noah and his family, and a world of animals, to be stored with a vast supply of provisions, when they might have escaped according to this hypothesis by taking refuge on the summit of some lofty mountain to which Divine Wisdom might have directed them?

There is no occasion whatever for such a hypothesis to account for the dispersion of mankind and their breaking into nations. Two chapters in the book of Genesis2 set the whole matter in a clear light, both as to the first cause of their separation, and the various tribes into which they separated, in which we can trace the names of many nations still in existence. From Babel each in due time took the course, in that direc、

1 Outlines of Hist. Cab. Cye!. ix. 4.

2 Chap. x. xi

tion, however led by circumstances, that Providence had decreed. Europe became at last the head quarters of the descendants of Japhet, Asia of those of Shem, and Africa of those of Ham; the Shemites in the lapse of ages, passing over to America, were the progenitors of the red or copper race of that continent. Nor were there any insurmountable obstacles in the way to prevent the peopling of the globe from one common stock. Supposing Babel or Babylon to have been, so to speak, the centre of irradiation-how easy was the transit for Ham's descendants into Africa by the Isthmus of Suez; into Europe, the path was still more open for those of Japhet; and as the stream of population spread to the East, the passage to America was not difficult to those who had arrived at Behrings Straits. But in all these countries mixtures with the aborigines have probably taken place, either from the irruption and colonizations of great conquerors, the spread of commerce and similar causes which naturally tend to produce variations in races from the primitive type. Hence writers on this subject now reckon six races distinguished by their colour, viz. a white race; a tawny race; a red race; a deep brown race; a brownblack race; and a black race.

This leads me to the other theory alluded to above, that there are different species of men as well as of other animals. The principal foundation upon which those naturalists have built their theory, that have adopted the opinion, that there are several distinct species of men originally created, is not only their colour, but likewise certain parts of their structure, which are found to vary in different races, such as the shape of the head; the prominence, more or less of the jaws, producing different facial angles; the comparative length of some of the bones and shape of the feet; the degradation of intellect; the peculiar acuteness of the senses; the tenacity of the memory; and to name no more, the appropriation of a peculiar species of parasitic animal to a peculiar race.1

Various are the circumstances, which, in the progress of generations, tend to produce differences between the different races which are now found inhabiting our globe, without having recourse to a theory that boldly contradicts or nullifies the word of God; since the Scripture expressly declares, that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before

1 See N. Dict. D'Hist. Nat. xv. 150, Article Homme. White's Regular Gradation in Man, &c. S. 2.

appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” Climate, the ele vation of country, its soil, waters, woods, and other peculiarities; the food, clothing, customs, habits, way of life, and state of civilization, often, of its inhabitants, produce effects upon the latter that are important and durable, and contribute to impress a peculiar character upon the different races of men as well as animals, that inhabit our globe, and will account for many distinctions, which indicate that such an individual belongs to such a people. But these circumstances will not explain and satisfactorily account for all the peculiar characters that distinguish nations from each other, without having recourse to the will of a governing and all-directing POWER, influencing circumstances that happen in the common course, and, according to the established laws of nature, to answer the purposes of his Providence. When he confounded the speech and language of the descendants of Noah, congregated at Babel, he first made a division of mankind into nations; And from thence did Jehovah scaller them abroad upon the face of all the earth." The same Divine Power that effected this distinction, which may be called the origin of nationality, also decreed that nations should be farther separated by differences of form and colour, as well as speech, which differences originated not in any change operated miraculously, but produced by second causes, under the direction of the FIRST. When we are told expressly that "The hairs of our head are all numbered," and that in God's "Book all our members are written," we learn, what in common parlance we acknowledge, that it is according to God's will that we are made so and so. That persons, who, in some one or other of their parts and organs, exhibit an approximation to races different from that to which they belong, as thick lips, a prominent facial angle, a difference in the relative proportion of certain bones to each other, the curling of the hair and the like, occur in all places, must be obvious to every one who uses his eyes and intellect. It is evident that all these variations are produced by circumstances that we cannot fully appreciate. Even in animals, there is as much difference in general characters between the Arabian steed of high blood, fine form, indomitable spirit and winged speed, and the brewer's dray-horse, of a strikingly opposite character, as there is between the European high-bred gentleman and the African negro. The long-legged swine of France, though exhibiting such a marked difference in the relative length of some of their bones, are still the same species with the shortlegged swine of England. The same argument is strengthened by the infinite varieties of the dog, the erect ears of the