i.] DARWINISM VERIFIED. 13 



room for the species. Yet we have no reason to sup- 

 pose that the race of codfishes is actually increasing 

 in numbers to any notable extent. With the cod- 

 fish, as with animal species in general, the numbers 

 during many successive generations oscillate about a 

 point which is fixed, or moves but slowly forward or 

 backward. Instead of a geometrical increase with a 

 ratio of six millions, there is practically no marked 

 increase at all. Now this implies that out of the six 

 million embryo codfish a sufficient number will sur- 

 vive to replace their two parents, and to replace a 

 certain small proportion of those contemporary cod- 

 fishes who leave no progeny. Perhaps a dozen may 

 suffice for this, perhaps a hundred. The rest of the 

 six million must die." l The amount of destruction is 

 not so great as this in all parts of the animal king- 

 dom. Among the higher birds and mammals the 

 preservation of the individual bears a very much 

 higher ratio to the preservation of the race. But 

 with the immense classes of fishes, insects, and crus- 

 taceans, as well as the sub-kingdom of molluscs, 

 which taken together make up by far the greater 

 portion of the animal world, the destruction con- 

 tinually going on is probably not less than that which 

 is described in the example cited. Even if we were to 



1 Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy ', vol. ii. p. 12. 



