LITTER SIZE 



25 



In this instance the litter size is determined for the entire 

 breeding period and is therefore low, 6.1, as compared with the 

 values in table 5 (King '24). 



Table 6 shows that the second litter is the largest, and this 

 agrees with common experience. Table 6 shows also the first 



TABLE 5 

 Showing the average size of litters for the earlier portion of the breeding period 



TABLE 6 

 Data for entire series of litters cast by 148 stock albino females (King '24) 



nine litters to be of good size, but the number of young in the 

 later litters is small. In table 6 the marked decline in litter 

 size comes at the tenth litter where the number of young drops 

 to 4.4, the average that is maintained until the end of the series. 

 This means that the size of the litter after the second tends to 

 diminish with the age of the mother. Whether this is due to 



