77 



FOURTH DAY'S SITTING. 



Darwin. " As soon," my Lord, " as some ancient member 

 in the great scries of the Primates came, owing to a change 

 in its manner of procuring subsistence, or in the conditions 

 of its native country, to live somewhat less on trees and 

 more on the ground, its manner of progression would have 

 been modified ; and, in this case, it would have had to 

 become either more strictly quad, upedal or bipedal." (Vol. 

 i. pp. 140, 141.) 



Homo. My Lord, according to Mr. Darwin's hypothesis, 

 after four-footed beasts had been developed from the primi- 

 tive worm, a portion of them were changed by Natural 

 Selection into four-handed animals, able to climb and live 

 on trees. One would think that the monkeys must have 

 been vain of their elevation. But Mr. Darwin now supposes 

 them brought down from it, and changed into four-footed 

 beasts again ! 



Lord C. Or into men ; rather, perhaps, into man's pro- 

 genitors. His words were, " quadrupedal or bipedal." 



Homo. True, my Lord, and, at present, men only are 

 bipedal. Still, the changing of two of the creature's paws 

 from hand-feet into feet pure and simple, must have been 

 a loss to which it would very reluctantly submit. One 

 would think that, while the change was going on, it must 

 have looked with regretful eyes to the trees and their 

 tempting fruit, as it found itself becoming unable to cliinb 

 them. 



