158 OBSTETRICAL I'HYSKJlJJdY. 



five living healthy Calves, all of which were, when he wrote (a week after birth), alive 

 and vigorous, and likely to continue so. They were nearly all of one size, and larger 

 and stronger than could be supposed. Four were bull-calves. The Cow, by no means 

 a large one, was eleven years old and of a mongrel breed, and had never produced 

 more than one Calf at previous gestations. She did not manifest any unusual 

 symptoms of exhaustion ; the first four Calves presented naturally ; the fifth was a breech 

 presentation. 



About sixteen years ago a Cow at Hohenniath, Bavaria, dropped five Calves, ranging 

 in weight from sixteen to twenty pounds. They were all of the same colour and all dead, 

 the dam dying soon after giving birth to them. 



In 1S7S, Professor Freytag, of Halle University, saw a Cow at Zeit, Saxony, which 

 gave birth to four Calves in rapid succession, and very shortly afterwards dropped another. 

 Parturition proceeded normally, and the Cow did not appear to suffer more than usual ; 

 but the Calves, though well developed, were born dead. The case is recorded in the 

 Deutsche Landwirthschaftliche Pre-fxe for 1878. 



But the most wonderful instance of fecundity yet mentioned is that of a Cow which was 

 seen by Ferrari, who reports the case in the Journal de Med. Veterinaire et dt Zoottchnii'^ 

 for 1883. She brought forth fourteen Calves at foxtr births. At her first delivery, in 

 1879, she had twins, which lived ; in 1880 she had five — two females and three males- 

 only two of which survived and were sold ; in 1881 there were four — two males and two 

 females — only two of which were alive ; at the fourth parturition, in 1882, .she gave 

 birth to two males and a female, one of the former dying, but the other two lived and 

 grew well. 



Kurds speaks of a Cow which aborted seven fretuses ; while Kleinschmeid {ila<jazinfi'ir 

 ThitrlttUkundt, 1857) mentions having found fifteen embryos in the uterus of an animal 

 of this species ! 



In the Veterinarian (vol. xxxii., p. 200), Mr. Forbes, of Keigate, mentions a Cow, six 

 years old, which at her third calving produced — three weeks premature — five Calves at a 

 birth — four males and one female. Three of the Cdlves died in a few hours, the fourth in 

 a day, and the fifth two days after they were born. 



The Che-Hter Chronicle (February 11, 1854) reports a Cow, between ten and eleven 

 j-ears old, producing five Calves— four males and one female — all of which lived. The 

 Calves were nearly of the ordinary size, and were strong and livelj'. In Eddow's 

 Shrewahury Journal (September 9, 1874), mention is made of a Cow which had been 

 purchased as barren, but which in due course produced a dead Calf, on the following day 

 another, and so on until four were born. The Cow then died, and on being opened a fifth 

 Calf was found. Mr. Litt, of Shrewsbury, in the same journal gives the particulars of 

 the case of a Cow which died within a fortnight of calving, and on being opened no fewer 

 than five fully-developed Calves were found in the uterus. They were nearly uniform in 

 size, and, with the exception of one, which was rather emaciated, they were in a 

 remarkabh- well-nourished condition. They consi.sted of four females and a male, and 

 were very little smaller than ordinary Calves at birth, being about the usual size of 

 twins. !NIr. Litt was of opinion that, had they been born at the proper time, they would 

 have lived. The Cow had not thriven so well as its companions for some time, but up 

 to the morning of the day previous to decease, it appeared to be in perfect health. Death 

 was probably due to the excessive drain upon the animal's .system produced by so many 

 young. 



Sliee'p. 



With the Sheep, twins are a very common occurrence ; and it is a 

 saying that in a good flock there should be as many Lambs as Ewes, 

 the double births compensating for the losses. Instances of extra- 

 ordinary fecundity are also by no means rare, and would appear to 

 pertain to particular breeds. Daubenton states that in the counties of 

 Julhers and Cleves, every Sheep brings forth two or three Lambs twice 

 a year — five Sheep producing twenty-five Lambs in twelve months. 

 In French Flanders, according to Magne, who cites Corneille as his 

 authority, there is a very prolific breed of Sheep, each ordinarily pro- 

 ducing three, sometimes four, five, and six, rarely seven Lambs, at two 

 births during the year. Tessier, speaking of this breed, while admitting 

 that twin Lambs are not an ordinary occurrence with Sheep, assures us 

 that in a flock composed of 371 Ewes there were 22 double births ; and 



