Volume 89 — THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. A NEW SONG.

Have you heard of this question the Doctors among, Whether all living things from a Monad have sprung? This has lately been said, and it now shall be sung, Which nobody can deny. Not one or two ages sufficed for the feat, It required a few millions the change to complete; But now the thing’s done, and it looks rather neat, Which nobody can deny. The original Monad, our great-great-grandsire, To little or nothing at first did aspire; But at last to have offspring it took a desire, Which nobody can deny. This Monad becoming a father or mother, By budding or bursting, produced such another; And shortly there followed a sister or brother, Which nobody can deny. But Monad no longer designates them well They’re a cluster of molecules now, or a cell; But which of the two, Doctors only can tell, Which nobody can deny. These beings, increasing, grew buoyant with life, And each to itself was both husband and wife; And at first, strange to say, the two lived without strife, Which nobody can deny. But such crowding together soon troublesome grew, And they thought a division of labour would do; So their sexual system was parted in two, Which nobody can deny.