He the monstrous remains of great mammoths had seen,
Who no longer existed, but who once had been;
“The theories about them are various,” said he,
“As to how they came there, and what they may be;
But not one of these I incline to receive,
For that they were elephants, who can believe?
There was one Mr. Cuvier, who talk’d of the sloth,
But to listen to nonsense like this I am loth;
From the strength of their limbs, and the make of their paws,
From the shape of their bodies, and length of their claws,