Chapter Si 



IX 



Old Mother Nature 



The Balance of Nafure 



VV E have long been told by those who 

 seem to know that there is a balance, or equilibrium, among 

 the various forms of life on earth. One species of animals eats 

 another, and in turn is eaten by a third. The inseas that eat 

 your garden crop fall prey to birds, and birds fall prey to many 

 other animals in addition to your pet cat. We are told of 

 the classical example of Australia, where rabbits introduced 

 by homesteaders soon overran the island continent because 

 there were no foxes or coyotes or other natural enemies of 

 the rabbit to keep the rodents from multiplying at a rate for 

 which rabbits are famous. 



So the balance of nature was changed in Australia. And 

 it is constantly undergoing changes everywhere else. The 

 English sparrow and the gypsy moth were not natives of this 

 continent, and when they were introduced into America 

 there had to be a shift in whatever balance of nature existed 

 before. And yet, in spite of the faa that there is nothing 

 static in nature, many alarmists start shouting whenever a 

 new insecticide is introduced, and their cry is always the 

 same: "You will destroy the balance of nature!" To which 

 we can only reply: "What if we do?" There is nothing 

 sacred about the old balance anyway, and if it is shifted there 

 is at least a 50-50 chance that it will be for the better — at 



137 



