But several seedling mistletoes, growing close together on the same branch, may more truly be said to struggle with each other.

As the mistletoe is disseminated by birds, its existence depends on them; and it may metaphorically be said to struggle with other fruit-bearing plants, in tempting the birds to devour and thus disseminate its seeds.

In these several senses, which pass into each other, I use for convenience sake the general term of Struggle for Existence.