CHAPTER VII 
How tHE MamMats DEVELOPED 
WHEN the idea of evolution first began to be much 
discussed, especially after the publication of the “Ori- 
gin of Species,” there were several points which ap- 
peared to be more than commonly difficult of ex- 
planation. It did not seem impossible that the vari- 
ous types of domesticated cattle should have descended 
from a common ancestor. It did not seem difficult 
of comprehension that the dog might once have been 
a wolf. Though not quite so credible, it did not seem 
absurd that the tigers, lions, and leopards should have 
once all been alike. The resemblance between these 
are strong enough to make tle idea seem conceivable. 
Though men were willing to concede this much, they 
insisted that the great branches of the animal king- 
dom varied so widely from each other as to make it 
certain that each was a separate creation. It was par- 
ticularly objected that the mammals differed so en- 
tirely from other animals in several important par- 
ticulars that a special divine act was necessary for 
their appearance. The mammals have a furry cover- 
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