| → on an average only one 1869 |
| only one on an average 1872 |
|
| → order to tempt 1869 |
| tempting the 1872 |
|
|
not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny. Two canine animals, in a time of dearth, may be truly said to struggle with each other which shall get food and live. But a plant on the edge of a desert is said to struggle for life against the drought, though more properly it should be said to be dependent on the moisture. A plant which annually produces a thousand seeds, of which
→on an average only one
comes to maturity, may be more truly said to struggle with the plants of the same and other kinds which already clothe the ground. The
is dependent on the apple and a few other trees, but can only in a far-fetched sense be said to struggle with these trees, for, if too many of these parasites grow on the same tree, it
and
But several seedling
growing close together on the same branch, may more truly be said to struggle with each other. As the
is disseminated by birds, its existence depends on
and it may metaphorically be said to struggle with other fruit-bearing plants, in
→order to tempt
birds to devour and thus disseminate its
In these several senses, which pass into each other, I use for
sake the general term of
for
|
|
Geometrical
Ratio
of
Increase.
|
| A struggle for existence inevitably follows from the high rate at which all organic beings tend to increase. Every being, which during its natural lifetime produces several eggs or seeds, must suffer destruction during some period of its life, and during some season or occasional
otherwise, on the principle of geometrical increase, its numbers would quickly become so inordinately great that no country could support the product. Hence, as more individuals are produced than can possibly
|
