Man in the Light of Evolution 



between a comparatively few of the most suc- 

 cessful. Even here the competition does not 

 usually take the form of physical violence. 



The cases where individuals of the same spe- 

 cies actually fight to crowd one another out are 

 few. Competition for food may be severe, but 

 there is generally enough for all. Few actually 

 starve except in hard seasons. The fact that 

 many are born and few survive is evident. 

 Natural selection is sure. In a sense there is 

 wholesale competition for life. But we do not 

 yet clearly know the exact form of this com- 

 petition, the laws of the great game. Mr. Dar- 

 win is wisely very cautious in his statements on 

 this point, and we may well follow his example. 



Even this competition is always diminished 

 by the divergence of species. They are continu- 

 ally seeking new places and conditions in nature 

 where the pressure will be less severe.^ They 

 become accustomed to new kinds of food, dis- 

 perse from one region into another of different 

 conditions. Every great group tends to spread, 

 to occupy larger fields, and to try new experi- 



^ Osborn, H. F., "Adaptive Radiation," Amer. Nat., vol, 

 xxxvi (1902), p. 353. 



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