JoLY — The Abundance of Life. 61 



functionless organs takes place. This is seen in the degraded 

 members of certain parasites. 



During the coal-formation epoch of geological history, when 

 carbon dioxide was abundant in the air, the vegetable world 

 developed enormously, in response to the liberal supplies. A 

 structural adaptation to the rich atmosphei-e occurred, such as was 

 calculated to co-operate in rapidly consuming the supplies, and to 

 this obedience to a law of progressive transfer of energy we owe 

 the vast stores of energy now accumulated in our coal fields. And 

 when, further, we reflect that this store of energy had long since 

 been dissipated into space but for the intervention of the organism, 

 we see definitely another factor in organic transfer of energy — a 

 factor acting conservatively of energy, or antagonistically to dissi- 

 pation. 



The tendency of organized nature in the presence of unlimited 

 supplies is to 'run riot.' Tliis seems so universal a relation, 

 that we are safe in seeing here cause and effect, and drawing our 

 conclusions as to the attitude of the organism towards available 

 energy. New species, when they come on the field of geological 

 history, armed with adaptations irresistible till the slow defences 

 of the subjected organisms are completed, attain enormous sizes 

 under the stimulus of abundant supply, till finally, the environment, 

 living and dead, reacts upon them with restraining influence. The 

 exuberance of the organism in presence of energy is often so 

 abundant as to lead to its self-destruction. Thus bacteria are 

 often destroyed in their own waste products. A moment's con- 

 sideration shows that such, progressive activity denotes an accele- 

 rative attitude on the part of tbe organism towards the transfer of 

 energy into the organic material system. Finally, we are conscious 

 in ourselves how, by use, our faculties are developed ; and it is 

 apparent that all such progressive developments must rest on 

 actions whicb respond to supplies with fresh, demands. Possibly 

 in the present and ever-increasing consumption of inanimate 

 power by civilized races, we see revealed the dynamic attitude of 

 tbe organism working through thought-processes. 



Whether this be so or not, we find generally in organized 

 nature causes at work which in some way lead to a progressive 

 transfer of energy into the organic system. And we notice, too, 

 that all is not spent, but both immediately in the growth of the 



