The Survival of the Fittest 



vival. Otherwise it can contribute nothing to 

 the progress of life. But a host of forms at first 

 sight seem to answer these two requirements. 

 We must find some means of sifting them still 

 farther. 



The safest line of study would seem to be fur- 

 nished by geology and paleontology. We will 

 attempt to catch a glimpse of our globe at vari- 

 ous stages of its geological evolution, and to see 

 what forms are competing for the prize of sur- 

 vival and leadership in the struggle for life. 

 As we pass from stage to stage we can see 

 the success or failure of the experiments tried 

 by the most promising competitors in preceding 

 stages. 



There was life on the globe long before the 

 beginning of paleozoic time. The '* everlast- 

 ing hills " have grown old, worn down, disinte- 

 grated, and almost disappeared since the lower 

 forms of life arose. But the earliest forms of 

 life were mostly soft-bodied, and It was Impos- 

 sible to preserve even traces of them. The rocks 

 in which they were Imbedded have been worn, 

 burled, twisted, and often recrystalllzed. The 

 few remains which have come down to us can 

 tell us but very little. We catch our first clear 



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