A NEW FACTOR 165 



stage was reached about the end of the tertiary period 

 at which so many genera, species, and varieties had 

 practically overcome in the struggle against the inani- 

 mate environment, and had multiplied to such an 

 enormous extent that thereafter and for these reasons 

 the second part of the struggle, in which success 

 depends on individual ability and conduct, became 

 the predominant form of it. 



Only by natural adaptations, as illustrated in 

 Chapter IV, could life be maintained while the 

 first part of the struggle prevailed. In the second 

 part, that is, in the contest with fierce, powerful, 

 greedy, living competitors for the largest attainable 

 individual share in the supplies and opportunities 

 provided by unaided nature, strength, cunning, 

 ferocity, selfishness, utterly ruthless of the fates of 

 others, are the traits that most favor survival. 



From that time, and seemingly thereafter for all 

 eternity, these and similar traits, and it is significant 

 that they are the same as those which distinguish 

 the false human race character, were required by 

 the struggle for existence, and their possessors were 

 naturally selected as the fittest to survive. 



For although there are a few exceptional cases of 

 instinctive co-operation among creatures below man, 

 i. e., bees, ants, beavers, etc., and an occasional 

 instance of a co-operative habit, such as when, among 

 herbivoras, one individual keeps a look-out for ene- 

 mies while the others are feeding or resting, yet, do 

 these few departures from it not militate against the 



