THE DESCENT OF MAN. 



(Kobus eUipsiprymnus), remarks, that in the herds of this and othei 

 species, the males are few in number compared with the females ; 

 the natives believe that they are born in this proportion; others 

 believe that the younger males are expelled from the herds, and Sir 

 A. Smith, says, that though he has himself never seen herds con- 

 sisting of young males alone, others affirm that this does occur. It 

 appears'probable that the young when expelled from the herd would 

 often fall a prey to the many beasts of prey of the country. 



Birds. With respect to the fowl, I have received only one 

 account, namely, that out of 1,001 chickens of a highly-bred stock of 

 Cochins, reared during eight years by Mr. Stretch, 487 proved males 

 and 514 females; i. e., as 94.7 to 100. In regard to domestic pigeons 

 there is good evidence either that the mates are produced in excess, 

 or that they live longer ; for these birds invariably pair, and single 

 males, as Mr. Tegetmeier informs me, can always be purchased 

 cheaper than females. Usually the two birds reared from the two 

 eggs laid in the same nest are a male and a female; but Mr. Harrison 

 Weir, who has been so large a breeder, says that he has often bred 

 two cocks from the same nest, and seldom two hens ; moreover, the 

 hen is generally the weaker of the two and more liable to perish. 



With respect to birds in a state of nature, Mr. Gould and others* 

 are convinced that the males are generally the more numerous ; and 

 as the young males of many species resemble the females, the latter 

 would naturally appear to be the more numerous. Large numbers 

 of pheasants are reared by Mr. Baker of Leadenhall from eggs laid 

 by wild birds, and he informs Mr. Jenner Weir that four or five 

 males to one female are generally produced. An experienced 

 observer remarks, f that in Scandinavia the broods of the capercailzie 

 and black-cock contain more males than females : and that with the 

 Dal ripa (a kind of ptarmigan) more males than females attend the 

 leks or places of courtship : but this latter circumstance is accounted 

 for by some observers by a greater number of hen birds being 

 killed by vermin. From various facts given by White of Selborne,^ 

 it seems clear that the males of the partridge must be in considerable 

 excess in the south of England ; and I have been assured that this is 

 the case in Scotland. Mr. Weir on inquiring from the dealers who 

 receive at certain seasons large numbers of ruffs (Machetes pugnax), 

 was told that the males are much the more numerous. This same 

 naturalist has also inquired forme from the bird-catchers, who annu- 

 ally catch an astonishing number of various small species alive for 

 the London market, and he was unhesitatingly answered by an 

 old and trustworthy man, that with the chaffinch the males 

 are in large excess ; he thought as high as 2 males 

 to 1 female, or at least as high as 5 to 3. The males 



* Brehin (" Illust Thierleben," B. iv. s. 990) comes to the same conclusion. 



t On the authority of L. Lloyd, " Game Birds of Sweden,' 7 1837, pp. 12, 132 



i " Nat. Hist, of Selborne," letter xxix. edit, of 1825, voL i p 139. 



Mr. Jenner Weir received similar information, on making inquiries 

 during the following year. To show the number of living chaffinches caughi 

 I may mention that in 1869 there was a match between two experts and one 

 man caught in a day 62, and another 40, male chafiiuches. The greatest num- 

 ber ever caught by one man in a single-day was 70. 



