DOMINATIONAL SELECTION. 2O5 



the consequent competition between members of the same species 

 condemns the latter to premature death, or at least to failure in prop- 

 agating, unless they find new resources by migrating or by changing 

 their habits. Competition between kindred for the possession of 

 identical resources we find directly connected with two quite distinct 

 principles of evolution : ( i ) With the principle of dominational selec- 

 tion tending to discriminate between those equally adapted to the 

 environment, through the success and consequent propagation of 

 those only that are best able to cope with their kindred in appro- 

 priating advantages ; (2) with the principle of competitive disruption, 

 tending to break up old relations and old habits, and so preparing 

 the way for the formation of new habits producing segregation and 

 divergence. The latter of these principles was referred to at the 

 end of Section III of my paper on "Divergent Evolution through 

 Cumulative Segregation." The first I now briefly describe, without 

 attempting to show its important influence on the transformation 

 and divergence of species. 



Dominational selection is the exclusive breeding of those better able 

 to appropriate natural resources or mates, or the provision made by 

 parents of society, not through being better fitted to the environment 

 or to the organized methods of cooperation and assistance, but through 

 being better able to overcome or outdo their rivals of the same species. 

 It results from the contest or rivalry with each other of members of the 

 same species that are equally fitted to the environment and to the con- 

 stitution of the species and the consequent failure of all that are not 

 able to cope with their kindred. ' 'The law of battle " is a form of dom- 

 inational selection which Darwin emphasizes as having great influence 

 in determining what males shall have the best success in procuring 

 mates. But there is a similar law determining what individuals shall 

 obtain the resources furnished by nature or elaborated by parents 

 and society. We may have dominational selection relating to susten- 

 tation, protection, and nidification, as well as to the possession of 

 females. And in gaining a single end there may be a great variety 

 of dominating methods. Combat between males for the possession of 

 females is not found in the vegetable kingdom ; but the prepotence of 

 the pollen of certain flowers over that of other flowers of the same race 

 may play a similar role. This we may call prepotential domination. 



Dominational selection differs from natural selection in that it does 

 not depend on degrees of adaptation to the environment, and from 

 other forms of reflexive selection in that it depends on a special form 

 of the relationship in which members of the same species stand to each 

 other. It seems desirable that this form of selection, which depends 



