JoLY — The Abundance of Life. 89 



from those actually followed. It is, indeed, possible that the 

 evolution of the larger organisms would not have occurred ; there 

 would have been no vacant place for their development, and a 

 being so endowed as man could hardly have been. We may, too, 

 apply this reasoning elsewhere, and regard as highly probable, 

 that in worlds which are without seasonal influences, the higher 

 developments of life, save such as are insectivorous, have not 

 appeared; except they be evolved under other conditions, when 

 they might for a period persist. We have, indeed, only to picture 

 to ourselves what the consequence of a continuance of summer 

 would be on insect life to arrive at an idea of the antagonistic 

 influences obtaining in such worlds to the survival of larger organ- 

 isms. 



Hence, it appears that to the dynamic attitude of life in the first 

 place ; and secondarily to the material conditions limiting undiffe- 

 rentiated growth, as well as to the action of heredity in transmitting 

 the reproductive qualities of the parent to the offspring ; the mul- 

 titudes of the pines, and the hosts of ants, are to be ascribed. 

 Other causes are very certainly at work, but these, I think, must 

 remain primary causes. 



That from our moral standpoint selfishness is the prevailing 

 vice of nature, admits of little doubt. The endeavour of each 

 species is to multiply at all costs with absolute disregard to all 

 other interests ; and cases wherein there is an appearance of 

 unselfishness will be found to resolve themselves into but forms 

 of a higher selfishness. 



We do nature no injustice in treating it, from the physical 

 point of view, as a dynamic phenomenon, for the principle at 

 work is to all appearance that of the prevailing of the greater 

 force. Whether or no the whole in its evolution be under a 

 Gruidance, it is not within the province of physical science to 

 inquire. 



In contrast, and yet in agreement with the abundance of life, 

 appears the " Economy of Nature." Economy is of course 

 conducive to survival under conditions of competition. It leads 

 to greatest activity in the end. Thus it is better for the bee to 

 store honey than wax. There is no object in accumulating the 

 latter, and hence the comb is typically roomy and strong at 

 small expenditure of material, and the economy observable in the 



SCIEN PKOC. E.D.S. — VOL. YII., PART I. H 



