copy of the "Vestiges" occur the words:
"Never use the word (sic) higher and lower."), for I do not think that
any one has a definite idea what is meant by higher, except in classes
which can loosely be compared with man. On our theory of Natural
Selection, if the organisms of any area belonging to the Eocene or
Secondary periods were put into competition with those now existing in
the same area (or probably in any part of the world) they (i.e. the old
ones) would be beaten hollow and be exterminated; if the theory be true,
this must be so. In the same manner, I believe, a greater number of
the productions of Asia, the largest territory in the world, would beat
those of Australia, than conversely. So it seems to be between Europe
and North America, for I can hardly believe in the difference of the
stream of commerce causing so great a difference in the proportions
of immigrants. But this sort of highness (I wish I could invent some
expression, and must try to do so) is different from highness in the
common acceptation of the word. It might be connected with degradation
of organisation: thus the blind degraded worm-like snake (Typhlops)
might supplant the true earthworm. Here then would be degradation in
the class, but certainly increase in the scale of organisation in the
general inhabitants of the country. On the other hand, it would be quite
as easy to believe that true earthworms might beat out the Typhlops. I
do not see how this "competitive highness" can be tested in any way by
us. And this is a comfort to me when mentally comparing the Silurian
and Recent organisms. Not that I doubt a long course of "competitive
highness" will ultimately make the organisation higher in every sense of
the word; but it seems most difficult to test it. Look at the Erigeron
canadensis on the one hand and Anacharis (70/3. Anacharis (Elodea
canadensis) and Erigeron canadensis are both successful immigrants
from America.) on the other; these plants must have some advantage over
European productions, to spread as they have. Yet who could discover it?
Monkeys can co-exist with sloths and opossums, orders at the bottom
of the scale; and the opossums might well be beaten by placental
insectivores, coming from a country where there were no monkeys, etc.
I should be sorry to give up the view that an old and very large
continuous territory would generally produce organisms higher in the
competitive sense than a smaller territory. I may, of course