SUMMARY 253 



any undue pressure upon the available means of 

 subsistence would be prevented. 



There can be no question that in the latter 

 section a higher percentage of individuals would 

 succeed in rearing offspring. And so, by reason 

 of the fighting instinct being more susceptible 

 or less susceptible according to the affinity of 

 the opponents, a control is established which, 

 while preventing unnecessary extension of war- 

 fare, allows for sufficient extension to render the 

 biological end secure. 



These, then, are the facts — this the conclusion 

 which can be drawn from them. It may, 

 however, be said of these facts, as it has been 

 said, with even less justification, of the battles 

 between individuals of the same species, that 

 they do not afford evidence of genuine hostility. 

 No doubt there are many naturalists who could 

 supplement these facts with others in which the 

 conflicts resulted in bodily injury, or terminated 

 fatally, or at least were of a more determined 

 kind. But I have already drawn attention to 

 the fact that, so long as a definite result is 

 attained, the severity of the struggle and the 

 amount of injury inflicted are matters of small 

 moment. Let us, however, run over the sub- 

 stance of the argument, and then briefly refer 

 again to this point of view. 



After enumerating instances of hostility, 

 sufficient in number, so it seemed, to constitute 

 reasonable ground for the belief that they had 

 a part to play in the life - history of the 



