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Show II I 46 MAMMALIA. tl.o n, on t h e con t rar y, the arrangement of these organs is every way perfect. · h' h are sent to his brain, not be·m g su bd1' v1'd e d as The arteries w 1c . • d d and the blood requisite for so volummous an 10 many qua rupe s, . being carried into it with too much vwlence, frequent apo-organ 1 · · plexies would be the consequence of a ho~i~onta positiOn. M then is formed for an erect posltlon only. He thus prean, ' '1 h' r serves the entire use of his hands for the arts, wh1 e IS organs o sense are most favourably situated for observation. . . These hands, which derive such advantages ft·om thetr hberty, r~- . many more from their structure. The thumb, longer m cetve as f · · f · · proportion than that of the Monkey, increas.es its ac1hty o seizmg small objects. All the fingers, the annulans excepted, have sepa· rate movements, a faculty possessed by no other animal, not ev.cn by the Monkey. The nail, covering one side only of the extremity of the finger, acts as a support to the touch, without depriving it of an atom of its delicacy. The arms to which these hands are attached, are strongly and firmly connected by the large scapula, the strong· clavicle, &c. Man so highly favoured as to dexterity, is not at all so with respec; to force. His swiftness in runnin? is great~y i~feri?r to that of other animals of his size. Having neither proJectmg Jaws, nor salient canine teeth, nor claws, he is destitute of offensive weapons; and the sides and upper parts of his body being naked, unprovide~ even with hair, he is absolutely without defensive ones. Of all am· mals, he is also the longest in ~aining the power necessary to provide for himself. . This very weakness, however, is but one advantage more-It com· pels him to have recourse to that intelligence within, for which he is so eminently conspicuous. No quadruped approaches him in the magnitude and convolutions of the hemispheres of the brain, that is, in the part of this organ which is the principal instrument of the intellectual operations. The posterior portion of the same organ extends backwards, so as to form a second covering to the cerebellum; the very form of his era· nium announces this magnitude of the brain, while the smallness of his face shows how slightly that portion of the nervous system which influences the external senses predominates in him. These external sensations, moderate as they all are in Man, are nevertheless extremely delicate and well balanced. His two eyes are directed forwards; he does not see on two sides at once, like many quadrupeds, which produces more unity in the result of his sight, and concentrates his attention more closely on sensations of this kind. The ball and iris of his eye vary but little; BIMANA. 47 this restrains the activity of his sight to a limited distance and dete:~ined degree of light. !lis external ear, possessing b~t littl: mobthty or extent, does not mcrease the intensity of sounds and yet, of all animals, he best distinguishes the various degrees ~f intonation. His nostrils, more complicated than those of the Monkey, are less so ~han those of all other genera; and yet he appears to be the only ammal whose sense of smell is sufficiently delicate t o b e ~ affected Qy unQ.lea~ours. Delicacy of smell must have some influence on that of taste, and independently of this Man must have some advantage in this respect over other animals, those, at least, whose tongues are covered with scales. Lastly, the nicety of his tact results, both from the delicacy of his teguments, and the absence of all insensible parts, as well as from the form of h' h d h . . 1s an , ~ Ich 1s bette~ adapted than that of any other animal for suiting Itself to every httle superficial inequality. Man is pre-eminently distinguished in the organ of his voice· of all the :'fammalia, he alone possesses the faculty of articulatlng sounds, 1ts probable causes being the form of his mouth and the great mobility of his lips. From this results his most invaluable mode of communication,. fo~ of all.the signs which can be conveniently em?loyed for the transm1ss1on of 1deas, variations of sound are those wh1ch. ca~ be p~rceived at the greatest distance, and are the most extensive m the1r sphere of operation. The whole of his structure, even to the heart and great vessels appea:s to have been framed with a view to a vertical position. Th; heart IS placed obliquely on the diaphragm, and its point inclines to the left, thereby occasioning a distribution of the aorta, differing from that of most quadrupeds. T~e natural food of man, judging from his structure, appears to c?nsist of the fruits, roots, and other succulent parts of vegetables: hts hands offer him every facility for gathering them· his short and but m? d e rate1 Y strong J· aws on the one hand, and h'i s canini b' eing equalm length to the remaining teeth, and his tubercular molares ~n the other, would allow him neither to feed on grass nor to devour o::~' were these aliments not previously prepared by cooking. . '.however, possessed of fire, and those arts by which he is bai d.e d m Se·i z·m g am· mals or killing them at a distance, every living h~lng was rendered subservient to his nourishment, thereby giving Im .the means of an infinite multiplication of his species. . His o. rgans of d1' gest·w n are m· conr, orml· ty wt. th those of manduca-tton• h1s sto h · · 1 · · · th ' mac 1s s1mp e, h1s mtestmal canal of moderate length e great m· t estm· es well marked, his crecum short and thick and' augmented by a small appendage, and his liver divided only into two |