universally than other animals, so are they more sagacious in watching and
surprising their prey. All those birds, that use their claws for hands, as
the hawk, parrot, and cuckoo, appear to be more docile and intelligent;
though the gregarious tribes of birds have more acquired knowledge.

Now as the images, that are painted on the retina of the eye, are no other
than signs, which recall to our imaginations the objects we had before
examined by the organ of touch, as is fully demonstrated by Dr. Berkley in
his treatise on vision; it follows that the human creature has greatly more
accurate and distinct sense of vision than that of any other animal. Whence
as he advances to maturity he gradually acquires a sense of female beauty,
which at this time directs him to the object of his new passion.

Sentimental love, as distinguished from the animal passion of that name,
with which it is frequently accompanied, consists in the desire or
sensation of beholding, embracing, and saluting a beautiful object.

The characteristic of beauty therefore is that it is the object of love;
and though many other objects are in common language called beautiful, yet
they are only called so metaphorically, and ought to be termed agreeable. A
Grecian temple may give us the pleasurable idea of sublimity, a Gothic
temple may give us the pleasurable idea of variety, and a modern house the
pleasurable idea of utility; music and poetry may inspire our love by
association of ideas; but none of these, except metaphorically, can be
termed beautiful; as we have no wish to embrace or salute them.

Our perception of beauty consists in our recognition by the sense of vision
of those objects, first, which have before inspired our love by the
pleasure, which they have afforded to many of our senses: as to our sense
of warmth, of touch, of smell, of taste, hunger and thirst; and, secondly,