624 
Proceedings of the Boycd Society 
January and December. The other ten months require no correc- 
tion, seeing that the number of marriages contracted on the last 
day of each month and registered on one of the early days of the 
following month counterbalance each other. 
Marriages in Scotland during each Month of the Ten Years 
1861-70, and their proportions to the Total Marriages. 
Months. 
Marriages as 
registered 
each month. 
Marriages 
corrected for 
December 
and 
January. 
Proportion 
per 1000 each 
month, or 
per 12,000 
per annum. 
Percentage 
each:month to 
total Marriages. 
January, . 
26,219 
16,579 
888 
7*39 
February, . 
18,593 
13,593 
727 
6*06 
March, 
12,707 
12,707 
680 
5*67 
April, 
13,081 
13,081 
700 
5*83 
May, 
10,889 
10,889 
583 
4*86 
June, 
32,269 
32,269 
1,727 
14*39 
July, 
22,038 
22,038 
1,179 
9-83 
August, . 
14,353 
14,353 
768 
6*40 
September, 
12,978 
12,978 
695 
5*79 
October, . 
14,435 
14,435 
772 
6*44 
November, 
22,475 
22,475 
1,203 
10*02 
December, 
29,185 
38,825 
2,078 
.7*32 
Ten years. 
224,222 
224,222 
12,000 
100*00 
It will be observed that the four favourite months for marriage 
are December, June, November, and July, which respectively 
furnish 17’32, 14*39, 10*02, and 9*83 per cent., or more than one- 
half (51*56) of the total marriages; while the smallest number of 
marriages occurs in May, viz., only 4*86 per cent. — March, Sep- 
tember, and April each furnishing less than 6 per cent. 
The favourite day in Scotland for contracting marriage is the 
last day of the year, provided it does not fall on a Saturday or 
Sunday.* During the ten years in question no fewer than 12,000 
of the 224,222 marriages contracted took place on the 31st of 
December — amounting to no less than 5*35 per cent. — a higher 
proportion than that of the entire month of May. As in France, 
the great annual holiday in Scotland is New-Year’s Day, and as 
* Very marked differences present themselves on the two sides of the Tweed 
with reference to the selection of particular days of the week for the celebration 
of the marriage ceremony. While our English neighbours continue to follow 
the customs of the Komish Church, the Scotch seem to he perceptibly influenced 
by those of the Puritans. Accordingly, it will be observed from the figures in 
