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Third Figure in the Fourth Table of the First Cabinet of Animals, of Mr. Ruyfch, where, to his great Aftonishment, without doubt, he will find an American Animal, called the Pipal, like a Toad, which produces its Young ones out of its Back fo that neither thofe Creatures, nor the Eggs from whence they come, have any Communication with the Cavity of the Belly.

SECT. X. The Food of Animals.

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AND to the end, that it may not be thought that the Generation of Animals is not just the only thing in which the Wisdom of the Maker fhines out equally with his Free Will and Pleasure, by which he does all things to his own Glory, and to the Confufion of thofe who reprefent his unbounded Power by the Likeness of a Clock, or other Artificial Machine, that Works neceffarily and ignorantly; Let the Atheist contemplate thofe Parts of Animals that are useful to them in Feeding; and let him obferve particularly how Kine, and other Beasts that have no Teeth above, and upon that account can't chew their Meat fmall enough at once, are provided with a Maw, in which the Grafs they fwallow is thoroughly moiften'd, to the end, that when it is brought up again into the Mouth, being Softer and Mellower, it may be render'd as fmall as is neceffary by a fecond Maftication, which is called chewing the Cud; and how, after having been fwallowed the fecond Time, it defcends into other Ventricles or Bowels, where it is first turned to a proper Chyle, in order to nourish them; concerning which those who have exprefly written may be confulted. Thus alfo there are fome other Animals fed with Grafs, that do not ferve for Food to others. In the Dutchy of Crain in

Auftria,

Auftria, there are found black Snails as big as ones Fift, and not inferior in taft to Oyfters, living in the midft of a very hard Rock, which must be broke in pieces to come at them. Let any one guefs how, and with what thefe Creatures are nouifhed. But I only ask this Question, first, Whether it can be fuppofed to happen by Chance, or without Wisdom, that thefe Cudchewing Animals, which are deprived of an upper Row of Teeth, are furnished with fuch a particular Manner of Digeftion, and that Dogs, Swine, and all kind of Fowl that do not want it, are not provided with the fame. And, Secondly, Whether it does not fully appear from thence, that he who has given to all Animals the proper Inftruments for Feeding, is not bound by any neceffary Laws of Nature, which tending all to the fame Purpose, do always act after the fame Manner.

SECT. XI. The Motions of Animals in General.

THE fame does likewife appear from the Diverfity of Motions in Animals, whereby they pass from one place to another. Thus moft Birds, both fmall and great, have Feet for Running and Wings for Flying; Fifhes have no Feet, but Tails and Finns for Swimming; fome Beasts have two, fome four, others more Feet for Running; others having neither Fect nor Wings, do creep; others, as fome Shell-Fifh, draw themfelves along by Threads, making ufe of a quite different manner in moving from one place to another. See concerning the fame, the Memoirs of the French Academy, 1706, p. 69. Now in all this we may obferve different Methods ferving the fame End, and each of 'em executing the wife Purposes of

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the Creator, being adapted thereto after a particular and wonderful Manner.

SECT. XII. The Structure of Birds.

AND not to stop at thofe Particulars which feem to have fome Analogy with those of the Humane Kind, forafmuch as we have treated of them in another place; let the unhappy Atheist contemplate the Birds, and let him ask himself, whether (in order to deny, with some appearance of Reason, the Wisdom and Power of an adoreable GoD) he can be contented neceffarily to conclude, that all thofe Inftruments which are requifite for Going, Flying, Eating and Procreating, fo neceffarily and fo artfully adapted to all these Purposes, are owing to mere Chance, and to the ignorant and neceffary Laws of Nature: And, whether he can conceive, that without an overuling Power and Providence, a Bird fo wifely form'd for Flying, not to speak of other Faculties, 'can have acquired its Existence out of that Matter and Subftance with which an Egg is filled, only by a brooding Heat?

SECT. XIII. The hollow Tubes or Bones of a Bird.

LET him firft contemplate the little Bones of a Bird, and he'll find those of their Legs to be much hollower, as well as the Subftance of them much thinner, than thofe of other Creatures; the reafon of which is, that the Bird may be lighter, and fo more fit for Flying. But to the end, that the Thinness of the Bone fhould not render it weaker, it feems neceffary that the Subftance of it fhou'd be harder and ftronger than in those of other Animals. Now if we confulr the Obfervations of those that have inquired into it, we fhall find it to be fo in

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Fact. Will then our unhappily blind Philofopher maintain, that this alfe comes to pafs without Wisdom and Defign?

SECT. XIV. The Cartilages in the Joints, and Convictions from thence.

MOREOVER, let any one who has, for inftance, a Pullet upon his Table, examine the same, and fee how in that, as in other Animals (of which fomething has been faid before in Contemplation XI. §. VIII.) the ends of these little Legs are encompaffed with a fmooth or polished Cartilage,to move and bend the fame conveniently; fome are moved by means of a round Cavity, which is likewife clad with a Cartilage, and others by means of two circular Protuberances in two like Cavities adapted thereto Let him afterwards attentively view the little Joints in the Claws of fuch a Pullet, and he will find, that here likewife, as well as in the great Bones of the largest Ox, the Extremeties of these fo fmall Bones are encompass'd with fmooth Cartilages, to the end, that in the Motion of them, one Bone may flide upon the other more eafily, and the proper Motions be performed in every Part without any Obstruction.

Now if there be not a wife Contrivance in this whole Structure, why are not all the Bones (which would then be too weak) compofed of mere Cartilges only? Why do they occur in thofe Parts alone, where by their Smoothness they render the Motion more Light and Serviceable? Why is one end of the Leg fpherical, or exactly round, where it is neceffary to be moved not only forwards and backwards, but also fide wife ? and at the other end, where there is no occafion for fuch lateral Motion, there are two fuch Protuberances formed, as to hinder it from being

inflected

inflected otherwife than backwards or forwards? He who fees all these things, and fo many others, which can only ferve for their particular Uses, and fhall judge, that they have acquired fuch a Difpofition without Wisdom and Defign; why may he not as well, in reading a Book or a News-Paper, affirm, that all the Letters are ranged in the Form he finds them in, by mere Chance likewise, and without any Defign of the Printer?

SECT. XV. How the Wings are moved in Flying.

BUT now if we carefully obferve, first, after what manner the Birds fly, and make ufe of their Wings for that Purpofe; and next, how these Wings are made and put together; fo that no Man living could have contrived 'em fo artificially, and prepared 'em for Service; I am not without Hope, that this may convince, if not all, yet at least fome Sceptical Minds, and oblige 'em to confefs, that Wings are as much given to Birds for the end of Flying, as the Hand of a Watch is made for fhewing the Hours.

To be fatisfied of it, let us remark, that a Bird moving its Wings, does not ftrike them from the fore Part backwards, nor ufe them like Oars, after which manner they would very much obftru&t the Action of Flying; fince being brought forwards with so much swiftnefs, they would strike against the Air, and fo either drive the Bird backwards, or at least hinder its proceeding forwards: Forafmuch as their Structure is quite different from that of the Claws of Geefe, Swans and Ducks, &c. which, because it hath pleased the Creator, that thefe Kinds of Fowls fhould make use of the fame, as of the Oars of a Boat, their Wings are of an entirely different Structure, of which hereafter. And in cafe any Progrefs could be made

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