BREEDING. 209 



twenty-six females, the three-year-old gave sixteen 

 males and twenty-nine females ; whereas the four- 

 year ewes, to the aged rams, and on the poor pasture, 

 produced thirty-three males and fourteen females. 



" More than this is not known ; but there is quite 

 sufficient to indicate that the breeder possesses at 

 least considerable power in controlling the proportion 

 of the sexes, and that the more vigour he has of 

 frame and food, the greater will be the proportion of 

 females; and that the converse will hold equally 

 good." 



On the other hand, there is to be accounted for the 

 fact that certain celebrated sires have an undoubted 

 tendency to get offspring of one sex continually. 

 For instance, the great proportion of foals from New- 

 castle Captain are fillies : while, among shorthorns, 

 Marmaduke has the same one-sided reputation for 

 heifer calves. Query, could the relative influence of 

 heat and cold be brought to bear in the way of in- 

 fluencing the proportion born of either sex ? No 

 strict analogy can be drawn between the animal and 

 vegetable worlds, or it might be worthy of trial how 

 far the breeder might avail himself of what Mr. 

 Knight has observed respecting certain monoecious 

 flowers, viz., " that cucumber and melon plants will 

 produce none but male or staminiferous flowers, if 

 their vegetation be accelerated by heat; and all 

 female or pistilline, if its progress be retarded by 

 cold." Facts of this sort may some day be woven 

 into a science ; at present they are simply curious, 

 and so perhaps beside our inquiry. 



Large animals breed unevenly. It is very difficult 



