made, but they are made with some purpose in view. Purpose
governs the adaptations and selections. What that purpose is we
shall try and discover as we get to know still more of Nature.

* * *

So far we have been observing individuals as separate individuals.
Now we must look at them gathered together as a whole. And the
first point we note is that though each individual has his own unique
individuality, whether he be plant or man, all are kept together as a
single whole. We have seen the individuals battling with one another,
competing with one another, struggling against one another. But that
is only one side of the picture. Just as remarkable as the way in
which they have to resist one another is the way in which they
depend on one another. Their interdependence is, therefore, the
point we have now to note.

Since Darwin drew our attention to the struggle for existence and
survival of the fittest, the perpetual strife in Nature has been clear
enough. But hard, selfish, cruel, brutal though the struggle
frequently is, though the strong will often trample mercilessly on the
weak and let the unfit go to the wall without any consideration
whatever; yet the very strongest and fittest individual could not
survive for a moment by itself alone. And what is just as remarkable
as the struggle between individuals is their dependence upon one
another.

All plants depend upon the natural elements--the soil, water, air, and
light. Animals depend on plants. And many animals depend upon
other animals. A forest tree in its maturity is covered with blossoms,
some conspicuous, others inconspicuous to sight, but very
conspicuous to smell. These blossoms, either by sight or scent,
attract butterflies, bees, moths, and other insects to sip their nectar,
and in so doing carry away the pollen of the flowers, and
unwittingly pass it on to another flower and fertilise it. The insect
thus enables the tree to procreate its species. But the butterfly, after
sipping the nectar of the flower of the tree, deposits its eggs on the
under surface of the leaves, and the leaves give nourishment to the
caterpillars into which these eggs develop. Besides this, the flowers,
having been fertilised by the insects, develop into fruits or berries
containing seeds; and these fruits, berries, and seeds form food for
monkeys, birds, bats, and rodents. In quarrelling for these many are
dropped and form food for mice and others below. Birds, finding
food s