placed, if not above the cerebrum, yet at least equal thereunto.'

Another convenience in this pofition of the cerebrum and cerebellum, the laft ingenious anatomift tells us is this.

faith he, the bafe of the

In the head of man,'

brain and cerebell,

yea, of the whole fkull, is fet parallel to the horizon; by which means there is the lefs danger of the two brains joggling, or flipping out of their place. But in quadrupeds, whofe

head hangs down, the bafe of the skull makes a right angle with the horizon, by which means the brain is undermoft, and the cerebell uppermoft; fo that one would be apt to imagine the cerebell fhould not be steady, but joggle out of its place.' To remedy which inconvenience, he tells us,

And left the frequent

concuffions of the cerebell fhould caufe a fainting, or diforderly motion of the fpirits, about the præcordia, therefore, by the artifice of nature, fufficient provifion is made in all, by the dura meninx clofely encompaffing the cerebellum; befides which, it is, in fome, guarded with a strong bony fence; and in others, as the hare, the coney, and fuch leffer quadrupeds, a C part of the cerebell is on each fide fenced with

the

• Id. paulo poft. In capite humano cerebri et cerebelli,'

&c.

the os petrofum: fo that by this double stay, its whole mafs is firmly contained within the fkull.'

Befides thefe peculiarities, I might take notice of divers other things no lefs remarkable, as the nictating membrane of the eye, the different paffages of the carotid arteries through the fkull

r

P See book iv. chap. 2.

Arteria carotis aliquanto pofterius in homine quam in alio quovis animali, calvariam ingreditur, fcil. juxta illud foramen, per quod finus lateralis in venam jugularem defiturus crano elabitur: nam in cæteris hæc arteria fub extremitate feu proceffu acuto offis petrofi, inter cranium emergit; verum in capite humano, eadem, ambage longiori circumducta (ut fanguinis torrens, priufquam ad cerebri oram apellit, fracto impetu, lenius et placidius fluat) prope specum ab ingreffu finus lateralis factum, caivariæ bafin attingit;-et in majorem cautelam, tunica infuper afcititia craffiore inveftitur.' And fo he goes on to fhew the con veniency of this guard the artery hath, and its paffage to the brain, and then faith, Si hujufmodi conformationis ratio inquiritur, facile ⚫ occurrit, in capite humano, ubi generofi affectus et magni animorum impetus ac ardores excitantur, fanguinis in cerebri oras appulfum debere effe liberum et expeditum, &c. Atque hoc quidem refpectu differt homo a plerifque brutis, quibus, arteria in mille ⚫ furculos divifa, ne fanguinem pleniore alves, aut citatiore, quam par eft, curfu, ad cerebrum evehat, plexus retiformes conftituit, quibus nempe efficitur, ut fanguis tardo admodum, lenique et ⚫ æquabili fere ftilicidio, in cerebrum illabatur., And then he goes on to give a farther account of this artery, and the rete mirabile, in divers creatures. Willis, ibid. c. 8.

skull, their branching into the rete mirabile, the different magnitude of the nates, and fome other parts of the brain in beafts, quite different from what it is in man: but the touches already given, may be inftances fufficient to prevent my being tedious in enlarging upon these admirable works of God.

⚫ Galen thinks the rete mirabile is for concocting and elaborating the animal fpirits, as the epididymes, (the convolutions, xipood

xos] are for elaborating the feed, De ufu Part. 1. ix. c. 4. This rete is much more conspicuous in beasts than man: and, as Dr. Willis well judges, serves, 1. To bridle the too rapid incursions of the blood into the brain of thofe creatures, whofe heads hang down much. 2. To separate some of the fuperfluous ferous parts of the blood, and fend them to the salival glands, before the blood enters the brain of those animals, whose blood is naturally of a watery conftitution. 3. To obviate any obstructions that may happen in the arteries, by giving a free passage through other vessels, when fome are stopped.

IN quadrupeds, as the carotid arteries are branched into the rete mirabile, for the bridling the too rapid current of blood into the brain; so the vertebral arteries are, near their entrance into the skull, bent into an acuter angle than in man, which is a wife provifion for the fame purpose.

CHAP.

CHA P. III.

OF THE NECKS OF QUADRUPEDs.

F

ROM the head pafs we to the neck, no prin

cipal part of the body, but yet a good inftance of the Creator's wifdom and design, inasmuch as in man it is fhort, agreeable to the erection of his body; but in the four-footed tribe it is long, answerable to the length of the legs, and in fome of thefe long, and lefs ftrong, ferving

Ir is very remarkable, that in all the fpecies of quadrupeds, this equality holds, except only the elephant; and that there should be a fufficient special provifion made for that creature, by its probofcis or trunk. A member fo admirably contrived, fo curiously wrought, and with fo great agility and readiness applied by that unweildly creature to all its feveral occafions, that I take it to be a manifeft inftance of the Creator's workmanship. See its anatomy in Dr. A. Moulen's Anat. of the Elephant, p. 33. As alfo in Mr. Blair's account in Phil. Traní. No. 326.

6

Aliorum ea eft humilitas, ut cibum terreftrem roftris facile contingant. Quæ autem altiora funt, ut anferes, ut cygni, ut grues,

• ut

ving to carry the mouth to the ground; in others fhorter, brawny, and ftrong, ferving to dig, and heave up great burdens.

BUT that which deferves efpecial remark is, that peculiar provifion made in the necks of all, or moft granivorous quadrupeds, for the perpetual holding down their heads in gathering their food, by that strong, tendinous, and infenfible aponeurofis or ligamen ", braced from the head to the middle of the back. By which means the head, although heavy, may be long held down. without any labour, pain, or uneafinefs to the mufcles of the neck, that would otherwife be wearied by being fo long put upon the stretch.

ut cameli, adjuvantur proceritate collorum. Manus etiam data elephantis, qui propter magnitudinem corporis difficiles aditus habebant ad paftum,' Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1. ii. c. 47.

Quod iis animalibus quæ pedes habent fiffos in digitos, collum brevius fit factum, quam ut per ipfum cibum ori admovere queant: iis vero quæ ungulas habent folidas, aut bifidas, longius, ut prona atque inclinantia pafci queant. Qui id etiam opus non fit artificis ⚫ utilitatis memoris ? Ad hæc quod grues ac ciconia, cum crura haberent longiora, ob eam caufam roftrum etiam magnum, et collum longius habuerint. Pifces autem neque collum penitus habuere, utpote qui neque crura habent. Quo pacto non id etiam eft admirandum?' Galen. de ufu Part. 1. xi. c. 8.

As in moles and fwine, in chap. ii. note p.

• Called the white-leather, pack-wax, tax wax, and fix-fax.

CHAP.