DISEASES OF ANiMALS 29 



*ill, or carry him in your arms, by youi superior force, 

 without injury j but if you attempt to compel him to 

 stay on that spot, or go the v/ay you would have him, 

 by the use of the lash or cudgel, you might kill him, but 

 you could not overcome his inclination while it is strong, 

 er than the love of life, or he knows not the cause of the 

 punishment so liberally and unmercifully inflicted. 



GESTATION. 



The experiment made by order of Earl Spencer on 

 cows, has been reported in the Journals of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, and is very full and satisfactory. 

 The number of cows noted was 764. The shortest period 

 in which a live calf was produced was 220 days, or not 

 much over seven months ; but no calf, produced in less 

 than 242 days, or about eight months, could be raised. . 

 The longest' period of gestation was 313 days, or ten 

 months and nine days. Of the 764 cows, 314 calved 

 before the 284 days, and 310 calved after the 2S5th day. 

 From this it would appear that the probable gestation in 

 the cow may be fixed, at 285 days, or nine months and 

 twelve days. 



The report of I\I. Teissier of Paris, of his experiment, 

 made on the experimental farm established by the French 

 government, both on cows and mares, shows the follow- 

 ing results : — Of 5S2 mares which received the male but 

 once, the shortest period of gestation was 287 days, or 

 little less than nine months and a half — and the longest 

 419 days, or about thirteen months and a half; making 

 a difierence of 132 days, or over four months.. Of 575 

 cows, 21 calved between the 240th and 270lh day; 544 

 calved between the 270th and the 299th day — mean 282 

 days; and 10 calved between the 299th and 321st daj 

 — mean 313 days. 



A German publication gives the following table : — 



Animal. Shortest period. Longest period. Mean period 



Mare 322 days. 419 days. 347 days. 



Cow 240 do. 321 do. 283 do. 



Ewe 146 do. 161 do. 154 do. 



Sow 1C9 do. 143 do. 115 do. 



3* 



