188 THE DESCENT OF MAN. 



were once intimately connected together; and the Monotre- 

 mata now connect mammals with reptiles in a slight degree, 

 But no one can at present say by what line of descent the 

 three higher and related classes, namely, mammals, birds, 

 and reptiles, were derived from the two lower vertebrate 

 classes, namely, amphibians and fishes. In the class of 

 mammals the steps are not difficult to conceive which led 

 from the ancient Monotremata to the ancient Marsupials ; 

 and from these to the early progenitors of the placenta! 

 mammals. We may thus ascend to the Lemuridse; and the 

 interval is not very wide from these to the Simiadae. The 

 Simiadae then branched oft' into two great stems, the New 

 World and Old World monkeys; and from the latter at a 

 remote period, Man, the wonder and glory of the universe, 

 proceeded. 



Thus we have given to man a pedigree of prodigious 

 length, but not, it may be said, of noble quality. The 

 world, it has often been remarked, appears as if it had long 

 been preparing for the advent of man; and this, in one 

 sense, is strictly true, for he owes his birth to a long line of 

 progenitors. If any single link in this chain had never 

 existed, man would not have been exactly what he now is. 

 Unless we wilfully close our eyes, we may, with our pres- 

 ent knowledge, approximately recognize our parentage; nor 

 need we feel ash'amed of it. The most humble organism is 

 something much higher than the inorganic dust under our 

 feet ; and no one with an unbiased mind can study any 

 living creature, however humble, without being struck with 

 enthusiasm at its marvelous structure and properties. 



