on the Ovaria. 239 
From a circumftance mentioned in the courfe of this expe- 
riment it appears, that the defire for the male continues after 
the power of breeding is exhaufted in the female ; and there- 
fore does not altogether depend on the powers of the ovaria to 
propagate, although we mud: at the fame time allow, that it 
may be influenced by the exiftence of fuch parts. 
If thefe obfervations Ihould be confidered as depending on a 
f cD 
Angle experiment, from which alone it is not juftifiable to draw 
conclufions, I have only to add, that the difference in the num- 
ber of pigs produced by each was greater than can be juftlv 
imputed to accident, and is a circumflance certainly in favour 
of the univerfality of the principle I wilhed to afeertain *. 
1 
From this experiment it leems moft probable, that the 
ovaria are from the beginning deftined to produce a fixed num- 
ber, beyond wdiich they cannot go, although circumftances may 
tend to diminifh that number ; that the conftitution at large 
lias no power of giving to one ovarium the power of propa- 
gating equal to tw r o ; for, in the prefent experiment, the ani- 
mal with one ovarium produced ten pigs lefs than half the 
number brought forth by the pig with both ovaria. But that 
the conftitution has fo far a power of influencing one ovarium, 
as to make it produce its number in a lefs time than w'ould 
probably have been the cafe if both ovaria had been prefsrved,. 
is evident from the above recited experiment. 
* It may be thought by fome, that I fliould have repeated this experiment ; 
but an annual expence of twenty pounds for ten years, and the neceifary atten- 
tion to make the experiment complete, will be a fuffieient reafon for my not 
having done it. 
