DOMINATIONAL SELECTION. 205 
the consequent competition between members of the same species 
condemns the latter to premature death, or at least to failure in prop- 
agating, unless they find new resources by migrating or by changing 
"their habits. Competition between kindred for the possession of 
identical resources we find directly connected with two quite distinct 
principles of evolution: (1) With the principle of dominational selec- 
tion tending to discriminate between those equally adapted to the 
environment, through the success and consequent propagation of 
those only that are best able to cope with their kindred in appro- 
priating advantages; (2) with the principle of competitive disruption, 
tending to break up old relatiorts and old habits, and so preparing 
the way for the formation of new habits producing segregation and 
divergence. The latter of these principles was referred to at the 
end of Section III of my paper on ‘‘Divergent Evolution through 
Cumulative Segregation.’’ The first I now briefly describe, without 
attempting to show its important influence on the transformation 
and divergence of species. 
Dominational selection is the exclusive breeding of those better able 
to appropriate natural resources or mates, or the provision made by 
parents of society, not through being better fitted to the environment 
or to the organized methods of codperation and assistance, but through 
being better able to overcome or outdo their rivals of the same species. 
It results from the contest or rivalry with each other of members of the 
same species that are equally fitted to the environment and to the con- 
stitution of the species and the consequent failure of all that are not 
able to cope with their kindred. ‘‘The lawofbattle”’ isa form of dom- 
inational selection which Darwin emphasizes as having great influence 
in determining what males shall have the best success in procuring 
mates. But there is a similar law determining what individuals shall 
obtain the resources furnished by nature or elaborated by parents 
and society. We may have dominational selection relating to susten- 
tation, protection, and nidification, as well as to the possession of 
females. And in gaining a single end there may be a great variety 
of dominating methods. Combat between males for the possession of 
females is not found in the vegetable kingdom; but the prepotence of 
the pollen of certain flowers over that of other flowers of the same race 
may play a similar rdle. This we may call prepotential domination. 
Dominational selection differs from natural selection in that it does 
not depend on degrees of adaptation to the environment, and from 
other forms of reflexive selection in that it depends on a special form 
of the relationship in which members of the same species stand to each 
other. It seems desirable that this form of selection, which depends 
