Reprodtcctian ofDomesHc Foods. 389 



course, the eggs of which were laid by a tufted hen, the favour- 

 ite of the mistress of the house, and consequently well fed, pro- 

 duced 5 males and 7 females. 



The total of these different broods is 183 males and 152 fe- 

 males. 



If these results are confirmed by new and numerous experi- 

 ments, as the volume of the eggs is in relation with that of the 

 birds, it will be established, 1st, That, in the same poultry yard, 

 and under the same race of fowls, the larger females produce a 

 greater proportional number of females than the smaller ; 2dly, 

 That there is no certain relation between the sex of the chicken, 

 and the form of the egg ; 3dly, That the small eggs are longer 

 in being hatched than the large ; 4thly, That in the gallinaceae 

 the predominance of the male sex is greater than in the mammi- 

 fera. 



Old hens lay large eggs, and if birds obey the same laws of 

 reproduction as the mammifera, these eggs ought to yield as 

 many males as the smallest. Now, it will be remarked that the 

 predominance of the males furnished by the small eggs is greater 

 than that of the females furnished by the large eggs. It may 

 also be remarked, that the very young females which have not 

 acquired a precocious developement, yield a great proportional 

 number of males. It is therefore probable, that the same laws of 

 reproduction are common to the mammifera and to birds. 



The comparative trial of round eggs and long eggs was made 

 by my orders, but not under my inspection ; and, although I do 

 not view the results with suspicion, I cannot warrant them. 



Some facts seem to prove, that, according to the common opi- 

 nion of housewives, it is not a matter of indifference to lay down 

 eggs for hatching under all the phases of the moon, and that 

 the result is so much the more satisfactory, the nearer the exclu- 

 sion is to the time of full moon. All the courses of the demesne 

 of Buzareingues, in 1827, were composed of 25 eggs. Now, as 

 may be seen from the above table, the success of these hatchings 

 has been in the following order : 1st, Those of the 21st May; 

 2d, Those of the 14th May ; 3d, Those of the 28th March ; 4th, 

 Those of the 6th June. The exclusion of the first took place 

 on the 16th of the moon, of the second on the 10th, of the third 

 on the 21st, and of the fourth on the 4th. The intervals be- 



