314 JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
NOTES ILLUSTRATIVE OF SPECIES DISTRIBUTION. 
ABOUT PLYMOUTH. 
ABSTRACT OF MR. T. R. A. BRIGGS’'S PAPER. 
(Read January 14th, 1875.) 
One of the most interesting subjects connected with the theory 
of Charles Darwin is “the struggle for life.” In his justly- 
celebrated work, “The Origin of Species by means of Natural 
Selection,” he has carried the subject into detail in his accustomed 
masterly manner, dealing both with facts illustrative of a conten- 
tion between different species, as well as with those showing an 
internecine conflict among the individuals of each one. I am 
persuaded that the recognition of the existence of a warfare of 
species in the animal and vegetable kingdoms throws a flood of 
light on many facts in both, and often helps us to explain what 
otherwise we should find inexplicable, especially if we at the same 
time keep in view the co-existence of a wonderful interdependence 
of species in the realm of nature. These two subjects I shall now 
endeavour to illustrate in some notes on local natural history 
phenomena. I take them together, as they become closely con- 
nected when our range of view comprehends numerous and diverse 
organisms, since the warfare carried on between any two species 
often greatly influences the range of a third. As I made mention 
just now of Darwin’s remarkable work, and moreover, as he has 
in a measure woven these subjects into his theory, it may be well 
for me to state that Iam not going to attempt either a defence or 
refutation of it, so far as the question of evolution of species is 
concerned ; all I shall endeavour to do will be simply to illustrate 
two subjects that happen to form links in his chain of arguments, 
by bringing forward a number of facts in our local natural history 
which have come under my personal observation, having all a more 
or less intimate connection with one or both of them. As regards 
the interdependence of species, we must see that man has done 
