PROPORTION OF THE SEXES. 275 



is in the same ratio as throughout England.* The propor- 

 tions are sometimes slightly disturbed by unknown causes; 

 thus Prof. Faye states " that in some districts of Norway 

 there has been during a decennial period a steady deficiency 

 of boys, while in others the opposite condition has existed. 1 " 

 In France, during forty-four years, the male to the female 

 births have been as 106.2 to 100; but during this period it 

 has occurred five times in one department and six times 

 in another, that the female births have exceeded the males. 

 In Russia the average proportion is as high as 108.9, and 

 in Philadelphia, in the United States, as 110.5 to 100. f The 

 average for Europe, deduced by Bickes from about 70,000,- 

 000 births, is 106 males to 100 females. On the other 

 hand, with white children born at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 the proportion of males is so low as to fluctuate during suc- 

 cessive years between 90 and 99 males for every 100 females. 

 It is a singular fact that with Jews the proportion of male 

 births is decidedly larger than with Christians ; thus in 

 Prussia the proportion is as 113, in Breslau as 114, and in 

 Livonia as 120 to 100; the Christian births in these coun- 

 tries being the same as usual, for instance, in Livonia as 

 104 to 100. t 



Prof. Faye remarks that " a still greater preponderance 

 of males would be met with, if death struck both sexes in 

 equal proportion in the womb and during birth. But the 

 fact is, that for every 100 still-born females we have in 

 several countries from 134.6 to 144.9 still-born males. 

 During the first four or five years of life, also, more male 

 children die than females, for example in England, during 

 the first year, 126 boys die for every 100 girls a proportion 

 which in France is still more unfavorable." Dr. Stock- 



* " Twenty-ninth Annual Report of the Rsgistrar- General for 

 1866." In this report (p. 12) a special decennial table is given. 



f For Norway and Russia, see abstract of Prof. Faye's researches 

 in "British and Foreign Medico-Cbirurg. Review," April, 1867, pp. 

 843,345. For France, the "Annuaire pour 1'An, 1867," p. 213. 

 For Philadelphia, Dr. Stockton Hough. il Social Science Assoc.," 

 1874. For tbe Cape of Good Hope, Quetelet as quoted by Dr. H. H. 

 Zouteveenin the Dutch translation of this work (vol. i, p. 417), where 

 much information is given on the proportion of the sexes. 



\ In regard to the Jews, see M. Thury, " La Loi de Production des 

 Sexes," 1863, p. 25. 



" British and Foreign Medico-Chirurg. Review," April, 1867, p. 

 343. Dr. Stark also remarks (" Tenth Annual Report of Births, 



