Neither do those which die of cold or hunger suffer much. Cold is
generally severest at night and has a tendency to produce sleep and
painless extinction. Hunger, on the other hand, is hardly felt during
periods of excitement, and when food is scarce the excitement of seeking
for it is at its greatest. It is probable, also, that when hunger
presses, most animals will devour anything to stay their hunger, and
will die of gradual exhaustion and weakness not necessarily painful, if
they do not fall an earlier prey to some enemy or to cold.[15]
Now let us consider what are the enjoyments of the lives of most
animals. As a rule they come into existence at a time of year when food
is most plentiful and the climate most suitable, that is in the spring
of the temperate zone and at the commencement of the dry season in the
tropics. They grow vigorously, being supplied with abundance of food;
and when they reach maturity their lives are a continual round of
healthy excitement and exercise, alternating with complete repose. The
daily search for the daily food employs all their faculties and
exercises every organ of their bodies, while this exercise leads to the
satisfaction of all their physical needs.
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