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Bearing in mind the imfailing results of unceasing conflicts 

 between the highly organised and the less perfect organisms, it 

 will be abundantly evident that no animal and no plant can be 

 expected to establish themselves successfully and permanently or 

 extend their range in a new country, unless they fill some pre- 

 viously inadequately occupied sphere of life or are manifestly 

 greatly superior in organisation to the species already in possession 

 of the invaded ground and representative of the most recently 

 evolved and most highly organised of their kind, while the country 

 invaded must have inhabitants of a more ancient and primitive 

 type. This is exemplified by the startling results of the sudden 

 introduction of the highest and most dominant organisms of 

 Europe into such primitive countries as New Zealand, Australia, 

 South America, and even Eastern North America, which are 

 now in a large measure overrun with European animals and 

 plants, which are driving ofí or exterminating the native or 

 indigenous life, so that in many districts it is now with exceeding 

 difftculty that any native species can be obtained near the towns 

 or settlements, the whole aspect of the country being changed 

 by the expulsion of the native or primeval life, which has been 

 replaced chiefly by the dominant species of the European region. 

 At no time, therefore, has it been more important than now, 

 that the primitive fauna and flora of the weaker regions of the 

 globe should be thoroughly and adequately studied, for at no- 

 previous period in the history of the world have changes in 

 the life of the primitive countries and the destruction and 

 extinction of their archaic species proceeded with such alarming 

 rapidity as at the present day, and this remarkable acceleration 

 of extermination and change must be solely attributed to the 

 marvellous increase in the facilities for easy and rapid locomo- 

 tion, by which means man, purposely or unwittingly, transports 

 the highly organised and adaptable animals and plants of the 

 European region to remote and distant countries, whose animal 

 and vegetable life are of the lowliest types, types which untold 

 ages before had been expelled from Europe and until the present 

 day had found sanctuary in these remote regions — a sanctuary 

 that would long have remained inviolate but for man's in- 

 terference, as in the ordinary course of natural diffusion it 

 would have taken many thousands of years to accomplish the 



