1887.] Mr T. B. Sprague on a Fruitful Marriage . 337 
Table A .- — Marriages of the Peers of 1870, and of their Sons , 
Brothers , and Uncles . 
Age at 
Marriage. 
Peers of 1870. 
Sous. 
Brothers. 
Uncles. 
Marriages. 
Of which 
were 
Childless. 
Marriages. 
Of which 
were 
Childless. 
Marriages. 
Of which 
were 
Child] ess. 
Marriages. 
Of which 
were 
Childless. 
Number. 
7. 
Number. 
% 
Number. 
% 
Number. 
% 
16 to 29 
248 
30 
12-1 
134 
23 
17-2 
278 
64 
23-0 
193 
44 
22-8 
30 ,, 39 
108 
16 
14-8 
63 
11 
17-5 
170 
47 
27 -6 
121 
29 
24-0 
40 ,, 49 
39 
10 
25*6 
2 
1 
50-0 
43 
17 
39-5 
47 
13 
27-7 
50 ,, 59 
19 
10 
52-6 
15 
11 
73-3 
17 
9 
52-9 
60 and upwards 
13 
9 
69-2 
... 
... 
... 
5 
4 
80-0 
6 
6 
100-0 
Total 
427 
75 
17-6 
199 
35 
17*6 
511 
143 
28*0 
384 
101 
26-3 
Table B, containing the facts of Table A, arranged in two classes. 
Age at 
Marriage. 
! 
Peers and Sons. 
Brothers and Uncles. 
m 
a> 
hJD 
.2 
Sh 
£ 
Of which were 
Childless. 
02 
CD 
bC 
.2 
rH 
5 
£ 
Of which were 
Childless. 
Number. 
Per- 
centage. 
Number. 
Per- 
centage. 
16 to 29 
382 
53 
13-9 
471 
108 
22-9 
30 „ 39 
171 
27 
15-8 
291 
76 
26-1 
40 „ 49 
41 
11 
26-8 
90 
30 
33-3 
50 ,, 59 
19 
10 
52-6 
32 
20 
62-5 
60 and upwards 
13 
9 
69-2 
11 
10 
90-9 
Total 
626 
110 
17-6 
895 
244 
27-3 
The percentages here run so regularly, and the differences 
between those relating to the two sets of observations are so great, 
that we are forced to the conclusion that the differences cannot be 
accidental, but that there must be something in the manner of 
compiling our statistics, that necessarily causes the percentage of 
childless marriages to be greater at all ages among the brothers and 
uncles, than among the peers and their sons. It was not long 
before I discovered a cause that accounted for a great deal of the 
difference ; — in fact, I found that my class of peers’ brothers, in- 
