CHAP. XI - OF THE ANIMAL STRUCTURE REGARDED AS A MASS

Summary

Contemplatingan animal body in its collective capacity, we cannot forget to notice, what a number of inftruments are brought together, and often within how fmall a compafs. It is a clufter of contrivances. In a canary bird, for inftance, and in the fingleounce of matter which compofes his body (but which feems to be all employed), we have inftruments, for eating, for digefting, for nourifhment, for breathing, for generation, for running, for flying, for feeing, for hearing, for fmelling; each appropriate; each entirely different from all the reft.

The human, or indeed the animal frame, confidered as a mafs or affemblage, exhibits in its compofition three properties, which have long ftruck my mind, as indubitable evidences, not only of defign, but of a great deal of attention and accuracy in profecuting the defign.

I. The firft is, the exact correfpondency of the two fides of the fame animal; the right hand anfwering to the left, leg to leg, eye to eye, one fide of the countenance to the other; and with a precifion, to imitate which in any tolerable degree forms one of the difficulties of ftatuary, and requires, on the part of the artift, a conftant attention to this property of his work, diftint from every other.

It is the moft difficult thing that can be to get a wig made even; yet how feldom is the face awry?