SECOND DAY'S SITTING. 57 



even though, as I believe, whales retain a few bristles about 

 the mouth. 



Darwin. Neither did I say, my Lord, that the elephant 

 and hippopotamus "had become divested of hair for orna- 

 mental purposes." I said, "It would almost appear as if 

 they had lost their hairy covering from exposure to heat." 



Homo. Very true, my Lord, he said so ; but he seems 

 not quite sure about its being true. 



Lord C. Neither is he as to the way in which man ceased 

 to be hairy. He merely says he is " inclined to believe " 

 it happened in the way he states. 



Homo. Then, my Lord, it is altogether supposition. 

 But, granting for the moment that we had such savage 

 maternal progenitors as Mr. Darwin catches an obscure 

 glimpse of, in the dim and far distant past, I question 

 whether they would have wished to lose their hairy 

 covering. Ladies clothe themselves with the furs of 

 animals now. The skin of fine-looking wild beasts is prized 

 by them for its beauty, and used for ornamental purposes. 

 There were neither silks, nor satins, nor coloured prints 

 in those primitive times. It seems to me, therefore, that, 

 if the matter had depended on the savage ladies of those 

 days, the human race would have been hairy still. 



Lord C. Mr. Darwin would find it difficult to account 

 for the beauty of the vegetable world on the principles of 

 either Natural or Sexual Selection. 



Homo. Or of both of them combined, my Lord. 



Darwin. Nevertheless, my Lord, " the early progenitors 

 of man were no doubt once covered with hair, both sexes 

 having beards." (Vol. i. p. 20G.) 



