“The Gull seems to consider itself the natural guardian of the coast. If it spies a person at a distance, walking in a cautious manner, in the neighborhood of any bird, it instantly repairs to the spot, and by a keen acute cry, different from the common note, endeavors to inform it of the approaching danger. Ducks and Curlews know the hint quite well, and almost always take advantage of it, and fly off long before the fowler can arrive within gun-shot of them. On these occasions it often comes with a sweep, as if intending to strike the person, who by that means is kept in a state of constant alarm and irritation; but if it do not immediately fly off, after having succeeded in accomplishing the object of its mission, this officious interference not unfrequently draws the vengeance of the fowler on itself, and it falls the victim of its own good intentions. This Gull is not satisfied with having alarmed birds on any particular occasion. It does indeed fly to a distance and sit down, but after its anxiety has been once roused, it never loses sight of the fowler, but follows him at a distance wherever he goes, and unless by pretended inactivity the sportsman can quiet the apprehension of his enemy, it is in vain to think of getting within reach of any bird that is naturally shy and of a timid disposition. The scream of this bird is peculiarly wild, and indicative of anxious impatience.”
156
— Hasselquist, speaking of the Strix Orientalis, or Oriental Owl, says, “It is of the size of the common owl, living in the ruins of old deserted houses of Egypt and Syria; and sometimes in inhabited houses. The Arab in Egypt calls it Massasa, the Syrians Bana. It is very ravenous in Syria, and in the evenings, if the windows be left open, it flies into houses, and kills infants, unless they are carefully watched; wherefore the women are much afraid of it.”—Travels, p. 196.
157
— The marine Polypus is different in form from the fresh-water Polype; but is nourished, increased, and may be propagated after the same manner. When it produces its young, they issue from its sides, as branches from a tree; these young shoots are no sooner detached from their parents, than they become separate Polypuses, and fish for prey.
It seems that every part of this animal possesses a principle of life. If it be cut into three pieces, it is so far from being destroyed, that it becomes three polypuses: the head produces a body and tail; the body, a head and tail; and the tail, a head and body. When a Polypus is cut in two lengthways, these close themselves, the wounds are healed in a few moments, and in the course of some hours they will eat greedily. If these Polypuses be again cut into four, or six pieces, these divisions of the animal will also become Polypuses; but they will not be matured, nor capable of eating, for some days. If this creature be turned like a glove, by pushing the tail into the body until it come out of the mouth, after such an operation it will still eat, and continue to produce young ones; so strong and vigorous is the principle of life which it possesses.
There are other insects which possess similar properties; and it is certain that nearly all plants which are produced from suckers, have no part which may not become either a stem or branch, and which will germinate, and furnish one, or even many plants.
158
— For the contrary opinion, see Fragments appended to Calmet’s Dictionary, pp. 114-117.
159
— “Some time ago, a person in the Isle of Wight, digging the ground for the foundation of an out-house, discovered the nest or magazine of a field-mouse. It was of large dimension, and was stored with acorns, which were laid up in the neatest and most compact manner imaginable. These were so numerous that he was induced to count them, and found, in the whole, no fewer than eight hundred and two. How wonderful are those faculties with which the beneficent Creator of the world has endowed his creatures, for the purpose of providing for wants which they have no power to foresee, and yet, without which provision, they must, during the severity of winter, be inevitably destroyed!”—New Monthly Magazine, July, 1814, p. 531.
160
— See Dr. Paley’s Natural Theology, pp. 296-299.
161
— To this may be referred an economical experiment well known to the Dutch, that when eight Cows have been in a pasture, and can no longer get nourishment, two horses will do very well there for some days; and when nothing is left for the Horses, four Sheep will live on it.
162
— The Arabians, when travelling, and in want of water, frequently kill their camels to obtain a supply, which, though taken out of the animal, they find perfectly good.
163
— Dr. Paley’s Natural Theology, p. 278.
164
— Dr. Percival’s Instructions, p. 23.
165
— See Annual Register, vol. iii, p. 90.
166
— Dr. Beattie’s Dissertations, Moral and Critical.
167
— Dr. Percival’s Instructions, p. 8.
The Chinese consider the flesh of this animal as a dainty, and public shambles are erected for the sale of it. In Canton particularly, there is a street appropriated to that purpose; and, what is very extraordinary, whenever a dog-butcher appears, all the dogs in the place pursue him in full cry. They know their enemy, and persecute him as far as they are able.—Goldsmith’s History of the Earth.
168
— Wesley’s Philosophy, vol. i, p. 233.
169
— For a description of the Crocodile, given by Divine inspiration, see Job chap. xli. It is a great question among learned men, says Mr. Benson, what creature is meant by לויתן, leviathan. Our translators were evidently uncertain respecting it, and therefore have given us the original term untranslated. The Seventy, however, have rendered it δρακων, the dragon; but that is far from being correct. The dragon is a genus belonging to the order of amphibia reptilia. There are two species, 1. The volans, or flying dragon, with the wings entirely distinct from the fore-legs, which is found in Africa and the East Indies. 2. The præpos, with the wings fixed to the fore-legs, which is a native of America. They are both harmless creatures; and feed on flies, ants, and small insects. The word לויתן, leviathan is supposed to be derived from לוי, levi, joined, or coupled, and תן, _than_, or תנין thannin, a dragon, that is, a large serpent, or fish, the word thannin being used both for a land-serpent, and a kind of fish. And “after comparing what Bochart and others have written on the subject, it appears to me,” says Parkhurst, “that the compound word לויתן, leviathan, the coupled dragon, denotes some animal, partaking of the nature both of the land serpents, and fishes, and, in this place, signifies the crocodile, which lives as well under water as on the shore.”
170
— Bingley’s Animal Biography, vol. ii, p. 410, &c.
171
— Dr. Paley’s Natural Theology, p. 286.
172
— Aristotle asserts that spinning and weaving were first learned from the spider. Thence it has its Greek name αραχνης, Latin Aranea, French Araignce, from the Hebrew Aragnevit, texuit, or Arach, textura. And it is not improbable that our English word Spider is but a corruption of Spinner, for Spinn is the German word for Spider. With this agrees that poetic fancy, that Arachne an excellent spinster, was by Pallas turned into a Spider. Pallas was the goddess of wisdom, war, weaving, spinning, and the liberal arts; and she was invoked by almost every artist, particularly such as worked in wool, embroidery, painting, and sculpture.—Edward’s Demonstration, &c.
173
— See Jones’s Disquisition concerning clean and unclean Animals.
174
— See D’Assigny on the Hieroglyphics of Egypt.
175
— Epist. cap. v.
176
— Simil. ix, sect. 13.
177
— Ad. Autol. lib. 2, p. 96.
178
— Lib. iv, cap. 37, et lib. v. c. 15.
179
— Lib. iv, cap. 75.
180
— Adv. Prax. c. 12.
181
— Cap. 21, 25.
182
— Cont. Cel. lib. i, p. 63.
183
— Socrat. lib. ii. c. 30, where the Creed may be seen at large.
184
— Hæres. 23, n. 2.
185
— Hæres. 44, n. 4. See Bibliotheca Biblica on the place.
186
— Lib. iv, cap. 37.
187
— Two Dissertations, &c. pp. 29, 30.
188
— Among the numerous traditions of the New-Zealanders, says Nicholas, there is one which is very remarkable. It refers to the creation of man, and has been handed down from father to son, through all generations. They believe the first man to have been created by three gods, Mowheerangaranga, or Toopoonah, or grandfather, Mowheermooha, and Mowheebotakee; but give the greatest share in the business to the first-mentioned of these deities.
189
— Moses says, “the life, נפש nephesh, of the flesh is in the blood.” And St. Paul affirms, “God hath made of one blood all nations of men.” This sentence of Moses, which, in conjunction with that of St. Paul, contains a most important truth, had existed in the sacred Scriptures for 3,600 years, before it arrested the attention of any philosopher. This is more surprising, as the nations in which philosophy flourished, were those which especially enjoyed the Divine oracles in their respective languages. That the blood actually possesses a living principle, and that the life of the whole body is derived from it, is a doctrine of Divine revelation, and which the observations and experiments of the most accurate anatomists have served strongly to confirm. The proper circulation of this important fluid through the whole human system, was taught by Solomon in figurative language, Eccles. xii, 6; and discovered, as it is called, and demonstrated by Dr. Harvey in 1628; though some Italian philosophers had the same notion a little before. This distinguished anatomist was the first who fully revived the Mosaic notion of the vitality of the blood; and which correct view was afterwards adopted by the justly celebrated Mr. John Hunter, whose strong reasoning and accurate experiments have served to sanction and give publicity to a fact so long unknown to mankind. The doctrine of Moses and St. Paul proves the truth of the doctrine of Harvey and Hunter: and the reasonings and experiments of the latter, illustrate and confirm the doctrine of the former.—See Dr. A. Clarke on Lev. xvii, 11.
190
— As an instance of this I may mention the case of a gentleman who was subject to frequent attacks of asthma, to such a degree, that if he were not relieved immediately by bleeding, he was in danger of suffocation: by being so frequently bled in that state, his blood at length became so pale as scarcely to stain a linen cloth, in consequence of the particles of the blood being so slowly renewed.
191
— Two of these causes are peculiarly important and interesting. When an animal has lost a considerable quantity of blood, and faints in consequence, the power of the blood to coagulate quickly is greatly increased.—When, for example, a sheep is bled to death, if you receive a cupful of the blood which first issues from the throat, and a cupful of the last, you will find that the latter will coagulate sooner, and become much more solid than the first portion. By way of experiment, the large artery of the thigh of a dog has been divided and laid open; the animal bled till he fainted, and on recovering had no return of the bleeding. On examining the artery, its divided end was found plugged up by coagulated blood, and much contracted in its diameter; this natural means, however, of checking hæmorrhage, we shall afterwards find, is assisted by the contractile power possessed by the vessel from whence it is effused. Hence it appears that fainting is favorable to checking hæmorrhages, as far as it puts a temporary check on the circulation, and should always be encouraged to a certain degree. Another cause which influences the coagulation of the blood, is inflammatory diseases. Under such circumstances it remains much longer in a fluid state, but coagulates at length more firmly. This coagulation of the lymph is the first step towards its conversion into various parts of the body, or the union of divided parts. When, for example, the coagulating lymph is thrown out upon inflamed internal parts of the body which lie in contact, as the intestines or lungs, it becomes solid, and connects them loosely together. Blood vessels shoot into it, and convert it at length into cellular membrane, forming what are called adhesions, and in a similar way it is converted into the nature of various parts of the body. We may therefore say, that the coagulating lymph is the most important part of the blood, inasmuch as it is subservient to the formation of various organs in the body. Many parts, particularly the muscles, very nearly resemble it in their nature.
192
— Substances may even be introduced into the blood directly. By way of experiment, Ipecacuanha, or a small portion of Emetic Tartar, or Jalap, have been infused into the veins: the result of this has been found to be, that they have produced the same effect as if introduced by the stomach; the former produced vomiting, the latter purging.
193
— Mr. Hunter, however, found that this natural inclination might be changed by education, for he taught an Eagle, which is a carnivorous animal, to subsist on farinaceous food alone. The plan he adopted was this: he began by abstracting the flesh meat, and substituting bread and butter, till at length the meat was entirely taken away; he then by degrees diminished the quantity of butter, till at length the animal fed on bread alone. It appears, however, from experiment, that this transition cannot be made suddenly, as the gastric juice of the animal is not adapted to act upon an opposite kind of food. It has been found that a quantity of pear or apple introduced into the stomach of a Buzzard Hawk was not digested, but remained unacted upon when the fowl was killed for inspection many hours afterwards; yet the stomach of this animal habitually digested bone.
194
— Dr. A. Hunter says, “When we consider the delicacy of the internal structure of the stomach, and the high and essential consequence of its office, we may truly say, it is treated with too little tenderness and respect on our parts. The stomach is the chief organ of the human system, upon the state of which all the powers and feelings of the individual depend.
“The stomach is the kitchen that prepares our discordant food, and which, after due maceration, it delivers over by a certain undulatory motion, to the intestines, where it receives a further concoction. Being now reduced into a white balmy fluid, it is sucked up by a set of small vessels, called lacteals, and carried to the thoracic duct. This duct runs up the back-bone, and is in length about sixteen inches, but in diameter it hardly exceeds a crow quill. Through this small tube, the greatest part of what is taken in at the mouth passes, and when it has arrived at its greatest height, it is discharged into the left subclavian vein; when mixing with the general mass of blood, it becomes, very soon, blood itself.”
195
— Dr. O. Gregory observes, “Animal heat is preserved entirely by the inspiration of atmospheric air! The lungs which imbibe the oxygen gas from the air, impart it to the blood; and the blood, in its circulation, gives out the caloric to every part of the body. Nothing can afford a more striking proof of creative wisdom, than this provision for the preservation of an equable animal temperature. By the decomposition of atmospheric air, caloric is evolved, and this caloric is taken up by the arterial blood, without its temperature being at all raised by the addition. When it passes to the veins, its capacity for caloric is diminished, as much as it had been before increased in the lungs: the caloric, therefore, which had been absorbed, is again given out; and this slow and constant evolution of the caloric in the extreme vessels over the whole body, is the source of that uniform temperature which we have so much occasion to admire. Dr. Crawford ascertained, that whenever an animal is placed in a medium the temperature of which is considerably high, the usual change of arterial venous blood does not go on; consequently, no evolution of caloric will take place, and the animal heat will not rise much above the natural standard. How pleasing it is to contemplate the arrangements which the Deity has made for the preservation and felicity of his creatures, and to observe that he has provided for every possible exigency!”—Lessons, Astronomical and Philosophical, 4th edit. p. 87.
196
— A London Alderman, who had accidentally heard of the thoracic duct, was so struck with the importance and delicacy of the vessel, that he became very apprehensive lest it should be in the least obstructed; and, being one day caught in a crowd, from whence he could not extricate himself, he most earnestly entreated those who pressed on him, to take care of his thoracic duct.
197
— This is a good example of muscles, which, under ordinary circumstances, are directed by the will, becoming involuntary from an altered excitement.
198
— Dr. A. Hunter remarks, “Were it possible for us to view through the skin and integuments, the mechanism of our bodies, after the manner of a watch-maker when he examines a watch, we should be struck with an awful astonishment! Were we to see the stomach and intestines busily employed in the concoction of our food by a certain undulatory motion; the heart working, day and night, like a forcing pump; the lungs blowing alternate blasts; the humors filtrating through innumerable strainers; together with an incomprehensible assemblage of tubes, valves, and currents, all actively and unceasingly employed in support of our existence, we could hardly be induced to stir from our places!”
199
— Mr. Cruikshank, late Professor of Chemistry at Woolwich, judiciously observes, says Dr. Olinthus Gregory, that the size of the body, the quantity of food taken in, the vigor with which the system is acting, the passions of the mind, and external heat or cold, are circumstances which will ever occasion considerable variety in the quantity of the insensible perspiration. This gentleman, assuming that the surface of the hand is to that of the rest of the body as one to sixty (an assumption which Mr. Abernethy thinks much too small for the body,) and that every part of that surface perspired equally with his hand, concluded that he lost during an hour, by insensible perspiration from the skin, 3 ounces, 6 drams; and in 24 hours, at that rate, would have lost 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Also, that he lost 124 grains of vapor by respiration, in an hour; or 6 ounces, 1 dram, and 36 grains, in 24 hours; which, added to the former cutaneous exhalation, would make the whole insensible perspiration, in 24 hours, equal to 8 pounds, 1 dram, and 36 grains: the evaporation from the lungs will be little more than one-fifteenth of the whole.
Mr. Cruikshank has not the smallest doubt, but that electric fluid is also perspired from the pores of the skin: it appearing to him impossible that an enraged Lion, or Cat, should erect the hairs of the tail on any other principle: indeed he strongly suspects that, as electric fire is now known to be the prime conductor of the variation in the atmosphere, so it is also the grand conductor of insensible perspiration. He likewise states it as a matter beyond doubt, that, independent of aqueous vapor (of fixed air and phlogiston,) emitted from the skin in insensible perspiration, there is an odorous effluvia, which, though generally insensible to ourselves and the by standers, is perceptible to other animals.—Hence it happens, that a Dog follows the footsteps of his master by the smell; and, in like manner, with regard to other animals: the Fox-Hound knows afar the smell of the Fox; the Pointer that of the Partridge, the Snipe, or the Pheasant; and every carnivorous animal that of its prey.—Haüy’s Natural Philosophy, vol. i, p. 27.
200
— Dr. Priestley has positively asserted, that the doctrine of the soul has no foundation in reason or the Scriptures. But Dr. Jortin, in his sermon on John xi, 25, vol. vi, and Dean Sherlock, in his discourse on the immortality of the soul, completely refute the Doctor’s arguments. In the fourth volume of the Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, there is a very valuable paper, by Dr. Ferriar, proving, by evidence apparently complete, that every part of the brain has been injured without affecting the act of thought; the reasoning of which memoir, being built on matters of fact and experience, appears to have shaken the modern theory of the materialists from its very foundation.
201
— See Wesley’s Sermon on Heb. xi, 1.
202
— Dr. Scott’s Christian Life, vol. v, p. 14.
203
— Practical Treaties on the Holy Spirit, pp. 7, 8.
204
— See Dr. Beattie’s Theory of Language, chap. ii.
205
— It is very singular, says Nicholas, in his very interesting history of New-Zealand, that the natives believe that the first woman was made of one of man’s ribs; and, what adds still more to this strange coincidence, their general term for bone is hevee, which, for ought we know, may be a corruption of the name of our first parent, communicated to them, perhaps, originally, by some means or other, and preserved, without being much disfigured, among the records of ignorance.
206
— See Townsend’s Character of Moses, pp. 66-68.
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Mosaic History of the Creation of the World, by Thomas Wood