Hearing, is one of the external senses, and expresses the act or faculty of perceiving sounds.

Animals possess this sense in a more acute degree than man; the owl and the hare-enjoy the faculty of hearing in a pre-eminent degree: by means of it, the former perceives the slightest sounds, and is thus embled to seize her prey, while the timid hare is cautioned against approaching danger. This very delicate sense is fable to be im-paired by a variety of accidents ; hence arises that unpleasant defect called Deafness, of the causes and cure of which we have already treated.