12 HOMO V. DARWIK. 



rise to a group of fishes, as lowly organized as the Lan+ 

 celet ; and from these the Ganoids and other fishes like the 

 Lepidosiren, must have been developed. From such fish 

 a very small advance would carry us on to the amphibian St 

 . , . Birds and reptiles were once intimately connected 

 together, and the Monotremata now, in a slight degree^ 

 connect mammals with reptiles. 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 either of 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 placental animals. We may 

 thus ascend to the Lemuridae ; and the interval is not wide 

 from these to the Simiadte. The Simiadae then branched 

 off into two great stems, the New World and the Old World 

 monkeys, and from the latter, at a remote period, man, 



the wonder and glory of the universe, proceeded 



If a single link in this chain had never existed, man would 

 not have been what he now is. Unless we wilfully close 

 our eyes, we may, with our present knowledge, approxi- 

 mately recognize our parentage, nor need we feel ashamed 

 of it." (Vol. i. pp. 212, 213.) 



Homo. I hope, my Lord, that Mr. Darwin will not charge 

 me with wilfully closing my eyes because I feel unable 

 to recognize my parentage either in monkeys or tad- 

 poles. 



Darwin. I beg Homo's pardon, my Lord ; but, like Pilate 

 of old, " what I have written, I have written." 



Lord C. Perhaps Homo is not yet sufficiently advanced 

 in knowledge to be able to make the recognition in question. 

 I must confess that I find myself in a similar predicament. 



