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eroafmg exercife. On the contrary, if the weight of the 

 body be too little for good health, it may be increafed by 

 adding to food and fleep, and by lefTening exercife ; and the 

 food muit be increafed chiefly by increafing drink and liquid 

 nourifhment. For the difcharges are commonly lefs from 

 drink and liquid nourilhment, than from dry and fohd food. 



There is but one weight under which a body can enjoy 

 the beft and uninterrupted heahh, and that weight mua be 

 fuch, that pcrfpiration and urine may be nearly equal at all 

 feafons of the year ; for by this means the body will be uni- 

 formly drained of its moifture : the inward parts by urme, 

 and the more fuperficial parts by perfpiration, without any- 

 irregular and unnatural difcharges, and its movmg weight 

 will continue nearly the fame at all feafons of the year. 

 Dr. Bryan Robinfon thinks this weight may be fettled by 

 his obfervations in his Treatife on Food and Difcharges of 

 Human Bodies. 



A quick increafe of weight in human bodies often pro- 

 duces diftempers ; the beft way to prevent this increafe is 

 either by fafting or exercife. But amidft a variety of dif- 

 turbing caufes, nothing fo effeftually prevents fuch an in- 

 creafe of weight as a very exa<El and regular diet, which 

 may prevent the difcharges from running into irregularities 

 and difproportions to one another. See Dr. Bryan Robin- 

 fon of the Food and Difcharges of Human Bodies, p. 82. 

 feq. 



Men, and other animals of extraordinary weight, are 

 often recorded in the writings of the learned. See Phil. 

 Tranf. N° 479, p. 102. 



Weight, Athletic, in the Animal Economy, that weight 

 of the body under which an animal has the greateft ftrength 

 and aftivity. Dr. Robinfon thinks this happens when the 

 weight of the heart, and the proportion of the weight of 

 the heart to the weight of the body, are greateft. For the 

 ftrength of an animal is meafured by the ftrength of its 

 mufcles, and the ftrength of the mufcles is meafured by the 

 ftrength of the heart. Alfo the adlivity of an animal is 

 meafured by the weight of the heart, in proportion to the 

 weight of the body. 



If the weight of the body of an animal be greater than 

 its athletic weight, it may be reduced to that weight by 

 evacuations, dry food, and exercife. Thefe leflen the weight 

 of the body by wafting its fat, and lefTening its liver, and 

 they increafe the weight of the heart, by increafing the 

 quantity and motion of the blood ; fo that by lefTening the 

 weight of the body, and by increafing that of the heart, 

 they will foon reduce the animal to its athletic weight. Thus 

 a game cock, in ten days, is reduced to its athletic weight, 

 and prepared for fighting. If the food which, with the 

 evacuations and exercife, reduced the cock to its athletic 

 weight in ten days, be continued any longer, the cock will 

 lofe his ftrength and afkivity. 



It is known by experience, that a cock cannot ftand 

 above twenty-four hours at his athletic weight, and that he 

 has even changed for the worfe in twelve hours. When he 

 is in the beft condition, his head is of a glowing red colour, 

 his neck thick, and his thigh thick and firm ; the day after, 

 his complexion is lefs glowing, his neck thinner, and his 

 thigh fofter ; and the third day his thigh will be very foft 

 and flaccid. Four game cocks, reduced to their athletic 

 weight, were killed, and found to be very full of blood, 

 with large hearts, large mufcles, and no fat. 



It is to be obferved, that the athletic weight of an animal 



is a very dangerous weight. Fevers and apoplexies are the 



diforders which commonly happen to animals under or near 



the athletic weights. Hence, horfes fed upon dry food are 



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much more fubjcft to fevers and apoplexies than horfes fed 

 upon grafs. Robinfon's Diflertation, p. 117, &c. 



Weights, Sejfions for. See Sessions. 



Weight, L'lije and Dead, of Animals, in Agriculture and 

 Rural Economy, the differences between their living and 

 dead weiglits as affefting their goodnefs and value for the 

 purpofe of the breeder and feeder or fattener. But few 

 correft trials have yet been made in the view of determining 

 this very important point or particular. It would feem, 

 however, from the little that has been done on the fubjeft, 

 that thofe forts of live-ftock that have the beft forms, and 

 the leaft weight in the different offal parts, are the moft 

 valuable and beneficial to the ftock mafter and farmer. 



In neat cattle ftock the difference or lofs in this way is 

 fomewhere about a fourth, but the moft in thofe breeda 

 which are the leaft correft in their forms or (hapes. In 

 fome unimproved breeds it has been found a good deal 

 more, while in thofe which have been greatly improved 

 rather lefs. In calves it will moftly be frorr> a third to a 

 fourth. 



In the good Hercfords, and fome of the beft long horn or 

 Lancalhire forts, thefe proportions have been found on trial 

 to be very nearly correft, both in the grown beafts and the 

 calves. 



In fheep ftock, too, the fame principle, for the moft part, 

 holds good, thofe having the leaft difference or lofs in this 

 way that are the beft in their forms. 



In trials with the South Down breed of (heep, as ftated 

 in the Correfted Report on the Agriculture of the County 

 of SulTex, the proportions of the live and dead weight are 

 thefe : 



lbs. 

 Live weight of the fheep - - 192 



Dead weight next day of carcafe - 125 



Weight of Offal. 



Blood 



Entrails 



Caul 



Gut fat - 



Head and pluck 



Pelt 



lbs. 



6 

 II 

 16 



5 

 8 



15 



0^ 

 o 

 o 



4 

 o 



12 



12 



In an average fpecimen of a wether of the fame breed : 



lbs. 

 Live weight of the fheep - - 133 



Dead weight the day after - - 73 



Weight of Offal. 



lbs. 

 4 



lO 



14 

 16 



Blood 



Tallow 



Entrails . . - . . 



Skin and feet .... 



Head and pluck ... - 9 



In one of general Murray's breed of the fame kind : 



lbs. 

 Live weight - - - - 129 



Dead weight .... 62 



Weight of Offal. 



Tallo 



lb>. 

 6 



It is remarked that the lightnefs of the offal, fuch as the 

 head, horns, feet, entrails, pluck, blood, pelt, &c. is the 

 ciroumftance which charafterizes a good fheep ; and it is 



faid. 



