From these two great classes of facts,
which are universal and indisputable, there necessarily arises, as
Darwin termed it, the "preservation of favoured races in the struggle
for life," the continuous action of which, under the ever-changing
conditions both of the inorganic and organic universe, necessarily leads
to the formation or development of new species.
But, although this general statement is complete and indisputable, yet
to see its applications under all the complex conditions that actually
occur in nature, it is necessary always to bear in mind the tremendous
power and universality of the agencies at work. We must never for an
instant lose sight of the fact of the enormously rapid increase of all
organisms, which has been illustrated by actual cases, given in our
second chapter, no less than by calculations of the results of unchecked
increase for a few years. Then, never forgetting that the animal and
plant population of any country is, on the whole, stationary, we must be
always trying to realise the ever-recurring destruction of the enormous
annual increase, and asking ourselves what determines, in each
individual case, the death of the many, the survival of the few.
Pages:
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230